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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27972887">The Near-Sighted Summoner of Askr</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/HB_DS2013/pseuds/HB_DS2013'>HB_DS2013</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Near-Sighted Summoner [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adventure, Attempt at Humor, Awkward Romance, Canonical Character Death, Coffee-Addicted Summoner, Dreamsharing, Eventual Fjorm/Kiran, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Hearing Voices, I Wrote This Hopped Up on Coffee, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Inspired by Dreams, Late Night Writing, M/M, Mostly First Person View, Near Death Experiences, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, POV Alternating, Profanity, Prophetic Dreams, Sharena Is Shafted Often in Canon So She Deserves Tons of Love, Slow Burn, Slow To Update, Worldbuilding, no beta we die like Gunnthrá</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 15:53:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>27,588</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27972887</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/HB_DS2013/pseuds/HB_DS2013</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Regina Kiran Chandel (Or Gina for short, she hates it when people call her Kiran) did NOT intend to be a summoner for some random kingdom out in the deep wide multiverse. Nor did she expect to lose her only pair of glasses after being summoned. Or have a near-death experience after bonding with a weird, blinky gun and a pink-haired priestess trainee with an unlucky hairstyle. Or be shorter than any of the royals of said kingdom. But that can be fixed with friendship, determination, and lots of coffee (candy).</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anna/Money, Anna/Sharon | Sharena, Eir &amp; Summoner | Eclat | Kiran, Fjorm/Summoner | Eclat | Kiran, Kiran &amp; Anna, Kiran &amp; Gunnthra, My Unit | Reflet | Robin/Sumia, Summoner | Eclat | Kiran/Coffee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Near-Sighted Summoner [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2109279</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Summoner Character Sheet</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Welcome to you and my name is HBDS_2013. I'd say my full name, but the shortened form sounds loads better. Anyway, this is the Near-Sighted Summoner in Askr. This will be written in the first person and will mostly be from the Summoner's POV with the occasional switch to other characters. I will also be including post chapter level-ups. It's mostly for flavor text and doesn't really affect the story in any way.</p><p>I hope you enjoy the Near-Sighted Summoner of Askr. Lemme know if you have any comments, questions or problems. There's honestly not enough long F!Kiran fics, so I'm changing that.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Gina's character sheet</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div>
  <p></p>
  <div class="resolved">
    <p> </p>
  </div>
</div><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Name: Regina Kiran Chandel</strong>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> <strong>AKA: Gina, Kiran</strong> </em>
</p><p>
  <em> <strong>Age: 25</strong> </em>
</p><p>
  <em> <strong>Affinity: Fire</strong> </em>
</p><p>
  <em> <strong>Ethnicity: Filipino-American</strong> </em>
</p><p>
  <em> <strong>Title: Coffee Addict</strong> </em>
</p><p><em> <strong>Description: </strong> </em> <strong><em>An affable, but foul-mouthed former baker-turned-summoner with workaholic tendencies. Has a coffee addiction and her middle name is her berserk button. Born on May 19.</em> </strong></p><p>
  <em> <strong>Boon:<br/></strong>Resilience  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> <strong>Bane:<br/></strong>Defense </em>
</p><p>
  <em> <strong>Assist:<br/></strong>Smite </em>
</p><p>
  <em> <strong>Special:<br/></strong>Miracle </em>
</p><p>
  <em><strong>Base stats:</strong> </em>
  <br/>
  <em>HP - 11</em>
  <br/>
  <em>ATK - 9</em>
  <br/>
  <em>SPD - 6</em>
  <br/>
  <em>DEF - 4</em>
  <br/>
  <em>RES - 17 (+5)*</em>
</p><p>
  <em><strong>Starter Inventory:<br/></strong>Coffee Candy - Tastes and feels like coffee, but not as potent as its liquid or cold counterpart.</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Temporarily boosts SPD by 5. (30 uses)</em>
</p><p>
  <em> Eyeglasses - Helps the wearer see.</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Boosts SKI by 8. (1 use) </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Steel Folding Chair: Somewhat durable, but a decent improvised weapon.</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Useless against armored foes. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> iPhone S4: Gina's smartphone. Has multiple functions. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> <strong>Starter Equipment:</strong> </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Grey T-Shirt and Stab Vest (Body)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Khaki Pants and Hiking Boots (Leg)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>50lb Red Heavy Tactical Vest (Accessory)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>*Rite of Dreams Resonance Buff</em>
</p><p></p><div>
  <p> </p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Coffee Prologue - A Coffee Addict's Last Chance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Gina loses her job and earns a one-way ticket to the World of Zenith disguised as a smartphone app.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to top this chapter, but I like what I've done so far and I wanted it to be different from the Kiran/Summoner intros I've read on the site. I've also been told that I suck at descriptions, especially places and I want to change that. I'd like to think that I've improved my writing skill thanks to three semesters of writing classes, at least four years of RPing in Skyrim, and four years of writing pony fanfiction, but that's probably wishful thinking and I still have so much to learn about writing in general.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div>
  <p></p>
  <div class="resolved">
    <p> </p>
  </div>
</div><p>
  <strong>PROLOGUE - A Coffee Freak's Last Chance (?)</strong>
</p><p>I closed the car door behind me and ignored the rain as I trudged up the stairs to the third floor of the apartment complex while holding a plastic bag. I kept walking until I saw a door plaque marked "104-B" on the left side of the hallway. I fished out the keys from my pocket and unlocked the door.</p><p>I let out a dull cheer as I stepped through the door and walked inside with my groceries and keys in hand.</p><p>My apartment wasn't much to look at, what with its white walls (ugh, I hate not being allowed to paint the walls) and carpeted grey floor. To my left was a tiny dining room with two metal chairs next to a bigger square plastic table. I flipped the switch near the kitchen and the lights flickered open, revealing a gas stove surrounded by a pair of birch cupboards. On the opposite side was a refrigerator crowded with a calendar on the freezer door and several drawings of ponies drawn in crayon.</p><p>Next to the fridge was a counter with a black coffee maker next to a small bag of Death Wish coffee, two medium bags of Batangas coffee (a gift from my late mother), a stack of coffee filters, and a knife rack with a twelve-inch chef's knife and a hand-sized survival knife. (The chef's knife was a moving away gift from my dad, while the survival knife I ordered online on a whim.) Next to the knife rack was a small sink with apple-scented dishwasher soap and a small tub filled with sponges and steel wool.</p><p>I sighed as I rotated my arms, took off my soaked chef's jacket and hung it over the other chair then took off my red tactical vest, and set it on my lap. I flipped the plastic bag and stuffed two pouches with coffee candy while leaving the remaining one for my phone.</p><p>I set down the plastic bag and my keys on the table then sat down and cleaned my glasses. I fished out a pink slip and an envelope from the plastic bag, then the pen and permanent marker from my pants pockets and set them down along with everything else. I groaned at the pink slip, then tore the envelope and sighed at the contents, and walked to the counter. I opened up one of the coffee cups, then the cabinets closest to me, and grabbed a spoon and my favorite, blue Vault Boy-themed mug. I opened the coffee bag and the lid of the coffee maker replaced the old filter and opened up one of the Batangas coffee bags. I relished in the strong smell of home-away-from-home as I spooned some beans into a new filter while listening to the heavy rain outside. I took out the pitcher and filled it with water from the sink, then filled the coffee maker with enough water for four cups.</p><p>I had finished preparing the coffee when I heard the Pillar Men theme from my tactical vest.</p><p>I brought out my iPhone 4S from the right pouch of my vest and opened up the Steam app. I scrolled to the bottom of the chat log and saw that one of my online friends was playing Dark Souls 2. I declined the invite, checked my mail, and sighed from my inability to afford a Nintendo Switch, Smash Ultimate, and Kingdom Hearts 3.</p><p>The new-ish Fire Emblem Heroes game had been out for at least a year and a half and I knew of it from surfing the internet (and from my friends bugging me about it, much like how I'm also a closet fan of a certain show with pastel-colored horses but that's a different story altogether) As for the series itself, Blazing Sword was my starter, then I moved on to buy Shadow Dragon and its sequel then tried Awakening, Fates and Smash 4. (I was also somewhat familiar with Roy and Ike thanks to the latter.)</p><p>I put on my coffee candy-stuffed vest and opened the FE Heroes app and yawned. I walked back to the coffee maker, poured myself a cup, and gulped down my joe while I waited for the loading screen to finish, then watched the title screen go on for about five seconds until I got bored and tapped the title screen. I typed out my real name instead of my handle. I realized what I had done, but before I can change my name, I felt a light draft underfoot and found myself standing for a brief moment. I tried to pull myself from the void underfoot after I felt it suck my chair, but it was too strong and I slipped inside while holding my phone.</p><p>I was screaming for a long time until a blue speck of light appeared in front of me and went supernova, forcing me to cover my eyes. I uncovered my eyes and stopped screaming long enough to watch the void turn into clear skies. My hair whipped around my face as I watched clouds rising upward, then tried to cover my eyes from the harsh sunlight. I slowly twisted my body in a way where my head was facing the ground and tucked my arms against my sides.</p><p>I regretted the idea as I tried to spread out my limbs, but the air too cold for me to do so and I was too occupied with not dying to admire the scenery when the clouds turned into grass. The last thing I remember before I blacked out was hitting something white with red hair and gold scales.</p><p></p><div>
  <p> </p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Coffee 1A - A Coffee Addict's Tragic Start (Anna)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Gina is summoned to the World of Zenith by her interviewer and is rewarded with a job, a new party member, a weird, blinky gun, and a near-death experience involving a pink-haired ice priestess.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Anyway, T-rated fic. Swearing. Typical violence in Fire Emblem, yadda yadda yadda. I don't expect this fic to be any good, but if it made your day, then I'm glad.</p><p>I've been playing Heroes non-stop since I started in late October of 2018. I find myself sometimes cursing my luck, though. I summon everyone BUT the one I want.</p><p>I apologize in advance if I didn't write anyone in-character. I honestly don't blame you if you don't want to read it anymore.</p><p> </p><p> Lemme know if you have any questions, problems or comments. HB out~</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div>
<p></p></div><p>
  <strong>CHAPTER 1A:</strong>
</p><p><strong>A Coffee Freak's Tragic Start </strong> <strong>(Anna)</strong></p><p>I stood in front of a worn-out stone monument with a carving of a tree and a round hole in the middle. It stood on a cliff overlooking a clear lake. I looked around and I was surrounded by a network of water and masonry underfoot. I lifted my head towards the stone arch towering above me, with its highest peaks covered with clouds.</p><p>I took a deep breath and dropped Noatun, then I switched to Briedablik and aimed towards the hole. I grunted as the force blew me back. I fired the trigger and watched the white beam pierce through the hole. The water beneath my legs rippled and grew larger. They converged to the center and shone with a golden light.</p><p>I covered my face with my arm as my feathered cape blew against the wind. The water shone underfoot and a faint mist followed by a pillar of blue light shot skyward around the altar. It pierced the clouds and covered the sky in white.</p><p>I opened my eyes to see that the water had grown placid; the light had faded and my cape wet in several places. I hoped that a Great Hero would appear out of the void and swoop to the rescue in a white and gold robe. But nothing happened. I growled, threw Breidablik into the ground, and stomped on it several times.</p><p>To my displeasure, Briedablik was still intact when a black stone bounced off my head. I rubbed my head and squeezed the stone. To my surprise, it resembled a leather mirror or a smooth box. I would sell it for some gold, but I have yet to find the Great Hero, whoever they are. I hid it on my belt pouch when I heard a loud, hollow object crash against the ornate cobblestone floor and yelped.</p><p>I looked down and leered at the device in front of me. I was about to examine further when I heard screaming from above. I couldn't step out of the way in time for me to fall on my back. I woke up and groaned. I tried to stand up, but I felt a weight on my chest and legs. I looked up and blinked. I assumed that she was female based on her rounded face. I pushed her my body and took a closer look.</p><p>I almost mistook her for a man no thanks to her impressive muscles and shaved head. I have seen my fair share of people with tan complexions, so I shrugged and moved on. Her thuggish face sported sunken eyes as well as a pair of thick, light brown brows.</p><p>If she wasn't the Great Hero, I could have killed her because of her bandit-like appearance.</p><p>Her garb looked nothing like anything I have seen in Zenith, much less Muspell. Her armor looked to be a threatening shade of red. I found a grey patch marked "Chandel" in bold, white letters on her right breast. She also wore a grey shirt with dark grey pants and a pair of brown, ankle-length boots.</p><p>I knelt next to her and checked her pulse. I sighed to myself and walked ahead when I realized she wouldn't be waking up soon.</p><p>I thanked the gods for the small mercy, only to curse them when I heard several loud screeches from above. I ran to the edge of the masonry and the plains. I jumped out of the way in time to watch an ultra greatsword embed itself on the ground where I stood.</p><p>I landed on the cobblestone floor and shuddered. For a moment, everything was quiet save for my ragged breaths. I took a deep breath and shrieked. The ground boomed. I fell on my butt and looked up. I found myself staring at a mountain of a sword knight. It wore dusty, black armor, winged, round helmet and a stone-grey great shield over its right arm looked down at me. I watched the knight lift the greatsword and hoisted it on its shoulder with one hand. It hovered and charged at me at inhuman speed.</p><p>"Found you…" I unholstered Noatun from my back. I locked blades with the massive greatsword. I tried to push him back, but the combined weight from both Noatun and the greatsword bore down on my arms. I staggered back, lost my footing, and earned a bash to the face for my trouble. I dropped Noatun and fell on the grass. Gold coins twirled and danced around my eyes. I gagged at a sudden vice grip around my torso and looked down. I gulped at the knight's sheer size of his hands around my chest while I tried to squirm out of the knight's grip. I relaxed with an exasperated sigh and glared down at him. We stared at each other for a few seconds before I decided to become a living javelin.</p><p>I landed on my chest and bounced on my back before I felt something firm beneath my head. I groaned to myself as I lifted my head, scrambled to my feet and turned around. I had landed near the girl from earlier and glanced back at the knight. It lowered its sword and stared at me menacingly. I knelt beside her and shook her shoulders. To my horror, nothing happened.</p><p>"WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" I picked her up by the shoulders and slapped her face with my gauntlets four times. I cheered to myself and dropped her when I heard a small, pained groan.</p><p>"Fuck, that hurt." I turned around and groaned at her coarse language. She looked up and rubbed her cheek with a scowl. Painful, but at least it did the trick.</p><p><em>Drat. I was expecting an ax fighter, not this guy!</em> I thought to myself whilst my partner frowned at me and crossed her arms. "Aren't you a little young to be using such language?"</p><p>"No, I'm twenty-five." I sighed to myself and buried my face with my hands.</p><p>"I'll hold him off while you find Briedablik and-" I looked back at her, took a deep breath, and turned back to the knight. I shuddered and drew back as I felt the malice flow from his helmet holes.</p><p>I stepped back and yelped from someone pulling at my cape. The knight's weapon landed at my feet. I covered my face with my free hand from the pebbles flying at me. I let out a thick gulp as I felt the sweat run down my forehead.</p><p>"And fight him without a weapon? Fuck no, you're not." The girl growled and glanced at the knight, then turned to me with a hard glare. My partner closed her left hand and raised her thumb, then she faced the knight. She breathed through her nose and ate a brown hard candy from her armor.</p><p>"Take the Briedablik and get out of here, Kiran!" I yelled at her as the knight floated back and raised his sword.</p><p>"Look, Red- you can't help me without a weapon and I'll be damned if I leave you to die on your own." My partner growled to herself as her eyes shot up. She lowered her knee and looked at me with a manic grin. Her left hand twitched and a white, tomato-sized orb appeared in the middle of her palm. It crackled with soft blue lightning bolts. The orb shifted into Briedablik in its white-gold glory. She turned to me with a flat stare, aimed Briedablik towards the knight, and pulled the trigger. "And don't call me Kira-!"</p><p>I closed my eyes and covered my ears as I heard a click followed by a loud bang and a distant scream to my left. I uncovered my ears and blinked. The knight had collapsed on his back and his sword had embedded itself on the grass. Finally, the red-clad girl was nowhere.</p><p>I took a glance towards the knight and caught him trying to yank his sword out of the grass. I ran back to the summoning altar and searched the masonry until I heard a loud groan. I found her sprawled out on her back. The channel showed a pair of spectacles while a familiar flat object rested near her head.</p><p>I ran to her side, picked up the spectacles, and waited until she craned her head and mumbled, "Not the porky rice..."</p><p>"Come on, Kiran!" I pulled her to her feet, grabbed her by the shoulders, and handed over the spectacles. "Get up-we don't have much time."</p><p>The girl stood up on her feet and looked up. She pushed me back with a grunt and frown. "Ugh, for the last time- don't call me Kiran!"</p><p>"Why not?" I asked.</p><p>"Not sure how you know my middle name, but-" I let out a devilish grin as the girl groused and crossed her arms. "Call me Gina instead."</p><p>Noatun was unavailable for the time being. Gina and I only had so much time before our friend comes back. So I walked around and felt my foot ensnare itself against the stone. I yelped and landed on my stomach.</p><p>"You okay, Red?" Gina ran to me with a concerned look and offered her hand.</p><p>I allowed her to pull me up and picked up the weapon.</p><p>The 'weapon', resembled- no. It is a chair but flat and made of metal. I hung my head and let out a resigned sigh, already missing the cold steel of Noatun.</p><p>"Gina, right?" I waited until Gina had picked up the chair and held it with her hands. She let out a questioning grunt while she faced me with a furrowed brow. "You don't have any other weapons? And why am I Red?"</p><p>I looked at her then at the chair and let out a dejected sigh. "Not sure why, but your hair reminds me of someone," Gina grunted and rolled her shoulders. "'Fore you ask- I ain't a tactician but- I'll do my best to keep you alive."</p><p>I nodded at her with a small smile and fished out the smooth stone from my belt pouch. Like her garb, the device looked nothing like anything from Zenith. A small eye rested on the top middle edge while a depression rested on the bottom middle edge. A shallow mirror separated the two. I moved my finger to the top and heard a click- I yelped and dropped it.</p><p>To my surprise, it did not break. I did not see any cracks nor bruises on the device when I picked it up. The device shone with a blue light and showed some numbers and letters below. I moved my thumb to the right and lo and behold- I saw the masonry inside. I pressed the mirror again, and it turned black for some reason.</p><p>"Be awful nice if you can give my phone back." I whirled around to see Gina leveling a glare at me with crossed arms.</p><p>"Phone?" I showed her the smooth black stone. "You mean this black stone?"</p><p>"Can we focus on my phone later?" Gina frowned and knelt on the masonry. "I need my glasses."</p><p>I nodded and decided to walk closer to the summoning altar. I kept walking until I heard a hard crunch. Underfoot was a pair of black-framed spectacles. It shone near the tip of my boot among the channels. I knelt and picked it up. I noticed some glass in the holes and decided to try them. I regretted my decision as the world blurred into a horrible mess.</p><p>I blinked and I locked eyes with a red blur standing in front of me. She looked down and brought a familiar flat object to her chest.</p><p>"Gods, that hurt." I rubbed my eyes and handed over the spectacles. "How are you able to see?"</p><p>"That's what you get for wearing my glasses." Gina mumbled to herself and continued, "Without these- you look like a blurred mess. otherwise- I can see you fine, but it'll be loads harder for me to see people from far away. I never got your name. "</p><p>"Does this ring a bell?" I giggled to myself and rested a finger on my chin.</p><p>"Wait a minute... You're Anna, aren't you?" I nodded. Gina paused and looked at me, then at the divine weapon. I noticed that it had taken on a blockier shape, but retained its colors. "...Okay. So, where and why am I here?"</p><p>"Welcome to Askr, one of the four countries in the continent of Zenith. More specifically- Vaskrheim in the hills of central Askr. " I let out a heavy sigh and frowned at her. "As for why you're here, I summoned you using Briedablik as part of a summoning ritual. You are the Great Hero of legend and-" I stopped and watched her roll on the ground while laughing. "You are not taking this seriously, are you?"</p><p>Gina cackled and put her hands on the stomach pouches of her soft armor. I hung my head and crossed my arms with a sigh until she stopped laughing and stood up. "Red- you've got the wrong gal. Do I look like a hero to you?"</p><p>"Sorry, shortstack. Briedablik reacted to you- ergo, you're the legendary summoner." I looked down at her with a hand on her shoulder with a serene smile.</p><p>"Fine." She blinked and glared up at me. "Wait, did you just call me short!?"</p><p>I ignored her question and asked, "How did you find Briedablik?" I looked down at the divine weapon in Gina's hands.</p><p>Gina looked down at Briedablik and snorted. "Build-a-brick? This weird, blinky gun? Found it near the monolith."</p><p>"It's pronounced, BREED-AH-BLIK." I sounded out for her. "I used it to summon you. That being said, it looks nothing like any bow I have seen."</p><p>"…Ok. First off- It's called a gun." Gina pinched between her eyes and sighed while twirling Briedablik like a baton. "I'm surprised that you haven't invented crossbows yet, but whatever."</p><p>Before my eyes, Briedablik and the chair turned into white essences and entered the 'phone'.</p><p>"Did it just-" I blinked.</p><p>"It did." Gina grunted, "Wait... roster, inventory, status- the hell?" I heard several soft clicks as Gina took off her glasses and looked into her device. "Guess I'm a pack mule now- I mean... here we are."</p><p>I closed my eyes and covered my face with my arm as light poured out of Gina's 'phone'. I blinked and coughed to myself as Briedablik and the chair reappeared at her feet. "Here, you can have the gun-" She handed over Briedablik to me before it returned to her hand. "Back. Dammit."</p><p>I grabbed Briedablik twice and grew frustrated the more it returned to Gina's hands. I buried my face in my hands before I heard a familiar sound of steel on stone. I whirled around and grunted as a red-clad brunette shoved a folding chair into my arms. I let out a frustrated grunt as she ran towards the knight with Briedablik in her hands.</p><p>I winced when she fell and the knight bashed her in the face for her trouble. She stood up, staggered back, and scowled as I ran up to the knight. I raised the chair, ready to attack- but I earned a bash to the face for my trouble and fell next to her.</p><p>"There goes that plan. And my glasses." My partner shook her head and stood up with a scowl. She held a pair of spectacles, now broken in half and cracked in several places. Gina looked to the right and noticed a shiny stone twinkle past the knight. "I'll distract 'im while you get your ax."</p><p>"Distract him... how?" I asked with a furrowed brow.</p><p>"With the chair, of course! It'll be harder for me to fight, but I can manage." I groaned while Gina took the chair from my hands and held it in a two-handed grip. "The hell are you waitin' for!? Go already!"</p><p>I grunted and pushed myself to my right. The knight thrust his sword forward. I let out a relieved sigh when I saw my partner on the other side. The knight drew back his blade and stopped. It winced when I heard her yell profanities- the sort that would make royal knights blush.</p><p>I kept running until I saw Noatun's hilt. I yelped as I rolled and fell forward. I let out a long, pained groan when I landed on my stomach in front of a familiar ax. I wasn't too happy that I was clumsier than usual today. Then again, this area has been abandoned for gods know how long.</p><p>I pushed myself up and held Noatun's hilt with a strong grip. I covered my mouth and leaned forward before I heaved and threw up my breakfast. My heartbeat drowned out the din of steel on steel and harsh yelling. I slowed my breaths as the cool breeze blew against my red hair while I lifted Noatun from the ground.</p><p>I blinked and found myself standing behind Gina, who slouched with slow and uneven gasps. She released her grip on the chair with her left hand and wiped the sweat off. Gina shifted into a guard stance with her hands on the chair. The knight slouched forward with a loose grip on his weapon. He let out a short grunt and descended with his feet planted on the ground.</p><p>"Kept me waitin', huh? Well, now's your chance!" My partner yelled. I turned to the knight, then back to her. Green tendrils converged and circled my limbs. They crawled up my back until Noatun started to glow a soft green. I drew my ax back and leaped forward with a yell. I landed in front of the knight and started with an overhead slash and a sweep. I followed up with another underhead slash, a horizontal sweep. I stepped forward and yelled with a downward stab.</p><p>I cheered when I heard the knight staggered again. That brief, joyful moment turned to sheer horror. Sheer horror expressed by an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUhVCoTsBaM">unholy cacophony of drums, violins, and bone-chilling wails</a>. I ran back to my partner, who leaned back and hurled Briedablik like a throwing ax. To my surprise, the knight staggered and lowered its shield.</p><p>"Aim for the legs!" I heard Gina yell. I ran towards the knight with Noatun raised and hacked at its legs. I was about to attack again when the knight rose to his full height and I shuddered from its malicious glare.</p><p>"Nope. Nope, nope, nope- so much nope." I gulped and ran back to Gina, who at her full height stood up to my chest. I had this strange urge to hug her, but I huffed to myself and turned back to the enemy. For some strange reason, she decided to stop and eat a piece of candy from her armor. I decided to ignore her and assume it was her way of coping.</p><p>I gave Gina a strange look as she twitched for a moment and turned to the knight with narrowed brows and a manic grin. The knight rolled his shoulders and floated up to us with his sword raised. Time slowed and I found myself pushed away from the knight's incoming attack.</p><p>"Floaty bastard's vulnerable after his attack!" Gina yelled after I sidestepped and heard the sword hit the grass.</p><p>I heard a thunderous bang followed by a scream. The knight staggered back and righted himself with his sword. I stole a glance to see Gina hunched over with Briedablik in her hand and the chair at her feet. I ignored the music as I rushed up to the knight. He lunged at me. I swat his sword aside with my ax. I let out a yell as I felt the wind gather around Noatun. The knight slashed at me, but I dashed under his shield and swung at his back. He dropped his sword and arched his back, screaming.</p><p>I slashed his back twice. The knight turned around with a roar and bashed me with his shield. I staggered back and wiped the blood from my nose. A large, white-green bolt hit the back of his shoulder. He staggered forward and turned around. A second bolt sent the massive sword flying and a third pierced through the knight's armor. I heard a low roar as the knight finally fell to his knees and collapsed.</p><p>"Dunno if that was supposed to happen, but let's get the hell outta here." Gina let out a soft groan and pulled herself up using the monument as support. "Don't want to be nearby when he wakes up."</p><p>I shook my head at the downed knight and decided to walk away. I wasn't happy about leaving the knight alone, but disarming his weapon is the best option we have for now. I motioned for Gina to follow me.</p>
<hr/><p>It was a far enough distance from the cliffs. I tasted the cold, crisp air. To my left, I shuddered at the shadow of the abandoned and dilapidated temple. The temple that once housed Briedablik and the instructions for the summoning ritual.</p><p>I did not enter, as I no longer had a reason to and I decided to stop and sit down on the tall grass near the stairs. Gina looked winded from her heavy breaths after sitting down and resting her hands on her knees. I let out an exasperated sigh as she sat down and heaved deep breaths on the grass. I watched as the girl raised her hand and flashed a familiar gun to me. To my surprise, Briedablik pulsed with warmth in her right hand as it shone with a soft, yellow light.</p><p>"Whew." I wiped the sweat off of my forehead and sat down. "We took care of him for now, at least. But how did you fire Briedablik without summoning a hero?"</p><p>"Oh, that? It's a gun- so I have some experience. Something tells me it ain't supposed to do that." Gina grunted and sat up. "What's with the armor?"</p><p>"Glad you asked, Gina." I looked down at her with a small smile. "I am the current commander of the Order of Heroes."</p><p>"Order of Heroes?"</p><p>"The Order of Heroes was founded when the Emblan Empire started their plans of conquest. As of late, Embla has been invading other worlds and binding heroes into their service. Our job is to free those heroes and to stop Embla from invading all the worlds. For that to happen, Askr needs the Great Hero of legend- and you are that legend."</p><p>"What does this gun even do?" Gina asked.</p><p>"As for what Briedablik does, it summons heroes using these-" I handed over a small, leather pouch. I opened it and showed her a strawberry-sized marble. It felt warm and smooth to the touch and shone with the colors of the rainbow. "These were supposed to be loaded onto Briedablik earlier, but I used that time summoning you instead."</p><p>"I see. Don't tell me you're the only one in this Order of Heroes?"</p><p>"What? No." I shook my head and frowned. "As of now, we only a few members consisting of myself, Lord Alfonse, Lady Sharena and three other Heroes who have somehow been summoned here," I answered. "We will meet up with them soon, don't worry about that." I winked and rested my finger on my chin. "Anyway, this realm has gateways to the worlds where Heroes come-"</p><p>"Just tell me 'bout Askr and Embla!" Gina interrupted.</p><p>"Embla has black and gold in their armor. Askr has white and gold," I rested my hand on her shoulder and looked down at her with a concerned frown. "How much do you know about those worlds? Can you still see?"</p><p>"Those worlds are legends back home. I can still see, but I'm far from blind." She looked at me with a furrowed brow and handed over Briedablik to me. "That doesn't explain why I'm here instead of drowning my sorrows in spiked coffee."</p><p>"I was desperate, okay!?" I shook my head and sighed. "That ritual isn't exactly safe and I'm still not happy that you landed on me earlier. We have to hurry- if we stay any longer, that knight will come looking for us!" Gina nodded at me as I holstered Noatun on my shoulder, grabbed her hand, and ran.</p><p>I clenched my hand to check if I held Briedablik, but as expected, it returned to Gina's grasp. I was about to take another step closer when I heard faint chatter and loud rustling... when I realized that the rustling came from us. Up ahead of me were four ruined buildings with a lone tree in the middle. I take it back- this area looked more like detached walls than buildings. I deemed the normal-sized Emblan axemen as greater threats than the archer in the back.</p><p>Looking at Gina, who decided to crouch and hide beneath the tall grass, the chair she brought with her had disappeared and so had Briedablik. I let out a soft groan and applied my hand to my face when I realized that the divine weapon can be summoned at any time.</p><p>I lowered myself and crouched next to Gina, who peered through the tall grass. She drew back after several minutes, sat down, and summoned Briedablik.</p><p>"Here's hoping we can sneak out." Gina scowled as she closed Briedablik and looked up. "Something tells me that guy has friends nearby."</p><p>I readied Noatun and snuck through the tall grass when I felt a twig crack underneath my boot.</p><p>"There she is! Get her!" Several voices yelled.</p><p>"So much for stealth," Gina stood up and muttered with a resigned sigh. "Time for Plan B."</p><p>"Oh, good. Our odds have gone from hopeless to overwhelming." I groaned and stood up as my eye twitched at the advancing Emblan forces. "I can't defeat them all by myself, and you're in no condition to help me."</p><p>I looked at her with a deadpan stare as I was met with laughter. She stood up and gripped my shoulder with a determined look. "I ain't happy that I'm brought here outta the blue, but it would be against my conscience to let you die alone." Gina shook her head and gently pushed me back with a smile. She twirled Briedablik twice, aimed forward, and pulled the trigger.</p><p>Gina was blown back after shooting Briedablik and groaned after she landed on the soft grass. At the same time, a white beam shot out of Briedablik and split into five smaller beams. I covered my eyes from the harsh light and lowered my arms to see a white-haired archer appear. He wore blue robes with a white spiked collar, brown armguards, a fur mantle, grey pants, and blue/brown boots along with a confused look.</p><p>"She summoned a Hero..." I looked at the unconscious woman, then at Briedablik. "Huh, that stupid thing worked after all." I felt a draft from behind and turned around.</p><p>"I'm Takumi, a prince of Hoshido and wielder of the divine Fujin Yumi. Which makes me pretty useful, I'd-" The archer remarked and pointed to me with a leer. "Anna, why are you wearing armor?"</p><p>"Oh, you must have mistaken me for one of my sisters or cousins." I giggled while covering my mouth with my hands; my smile grew wider when I watched Takumi shudder. I walked closer to Gina and knelt down next to her. I gently slapped her on the cheek until I heard a soft groan. "Wake up, sleepyhead. Are you still alive?"</p><p>"Yes... I'm still alive." Gina groaned and stood up. She paused and turned to Takumi, who shot the first axeman in the head using the Fujin Yumi. He turned around and stared at her, then at Briedablik in her hand.</p><p>"So you're the one who summoned me." The Hoshidan archer frowned. "Aren't you-"</p><p>"No, I'm not." Gina sighed. She yelped and landed on her butt when an arrow whizzed by her face.</p><p>I turned around to see the archer and axeman paired up together. The archer stood beside the axeman with his bow aimed toward us.</p><p>"Gina! Orders?" I yelled at her.</p><p>"Red, I want you and Pineapple-"</p><p>"What in the Dawn Dragon's name is a pineapple!?" Takumi yelled.</p><p>"I'll answer that later," Gina answered in a calm tone and opened up Briedablik. She took out two orbs and stored them in her armor while Takumi groaned. "Right now, you two go after the guy with the ax- I'll go after the archer."</p>
<hr/><p>"If only she can apply her brand of creativity to tactics..." I mumbled to myself as she ran ahead and launched herself with Briedablik.</p><p>I heard a yell and blocked an incoming slash. Takumi nocked an arrow and shot at the axeman's face. The axeman grunted when he felt a cut on his cheek. Takumi fired another shot, but the axeman ducked and ran towards me. I raised Noatun in time for an incoming slash. I instead staggered back and earned a kick to the stomach for my trouble. The axeman lunged at me with his weapon raised above his head. I widened my stance, tightened my grip, and held Noatun at an angle. As I planned, the axehead hit Noatun's hilt. The enemy bore down his weight on Noatun. I pushed against him and bashed at him with my ax. We both took heavy breaths for a moment before the enemy lunged at me with his ax again.</p><p>I blocked him again and kicked him in the stomach, then I glowed green and countered with the five-hit onslaught from earlier. I swung at him one more time and this time, the knight knelt to the ground with his armor destroyed and bleeding chest until he died from an arrow to the head.</p><p>"Thanks for the help." I nodded at Takumi, who nodded back.</p><p>"You're not bad for an Anna." Takumi stopped and looked around, "You're the first one that hasn't tried to scam me out of my gold."</p><p>"Don't push it." I shook my head, reached behind my pouch, and tossed an amber bottle at him. I pulled Noatun close to my chest and closed my eyes. I felt green gusts of wind around my body and thought of Gina. Takumi and I started to glow in a green aura and the current battlefield left our view.</p>
<hr/><p>When Takumi and I reappeared, Gina stood over the archer with a broken bow and two halves of a chair at her feet and an arrow held in her hand. The archer lay crumpled on the ground with cuts and bruises on his face, dents on his armor and helmet, a dagger impaled on his stomach, and an arrow stuck on his throat. Gina turned to me with slow, deep breaths and a shadow on her face. She dropped the arrow and fell on her knees with a dry heave.</p><p>"I... I'll help you." Gina started to glow with a green haze. She shuddered and hugged herself while green gusts circled her. "I'll take your blessing."</p><p>"Are you alright, Summoner?" Takumi asked and stepped forward after a moment of silence.</p><p>"No." Gina huffed to herself, stood up, and wiped her mouth while breathing heavily. "Just tired is all. Adrenaline an' coffee are the only things keepin' me awake an' alive now."</p><p>"Anna and I can fight for you if you want." Takumi offered.</p><p>"I... I can deal." Gina raised a hand as she turned to me and huffed. "Thanks, though."</p><p>"I'm glad you're in one piece, Gina." I let out a relieved sigh and placed my hand on her shoulder. She looked up with a neutral look and snorted. "Oh, that's right! I never did tell you where we were going."</p><p>"I know that you're on our side, but you never told us where we're going." Takumi frowned and crossed his arms.</p><p>"There's a castle town after this hill," I answered. "It's not too far from here. Here you are." I handed the Summoner an amber bottle.</p><p>"Uh, a vulnerary?" Gina asked. "Say, can Noatun teleport us to the castle?"</p><p>"It's yours now. I had meant to give it to you earlier, but we were caught up in the last battle." I replied and hoisted Noatun on my shoulder. I let out a big sigh and continued. "I never doubted for a second that you were the Great Hero. You're the one who will save our kingdom." I grinned at the girl, who looked up to me with a bemused stare and snorted.</p><p>"That doesn't seem reassuring at all, but whatever." Gina shrugged her shoulders and took a glance at Takumi, who leered back at her and averted his gaze.</p><p>"What were you doing before I summoned you?" I asked.</p><p>"I was about to go job searching but I guess that plan went out of the window," Gina growled and chomped on a piece of candy from her armor.</p><p>"You're taking this surprisingly well. Are you sure you're alright?" I asked.</p><p>"No." Gina flatly replied. "I suck."</p><p>"What kind of trade requires you to run yourself into the ground!?" Takumi asked the summoner with a furrowed brow. I looked at Gina, who yawned and leaned on her leg.</p><p>"For starters, my first job. I worked as a baker and I've been running multiple shifts to keep that place afloat lately." Gina answered with a confused grunt. "As for my other job, I'm basically a crier... for a specific kind of news if it makes any sense."</p><p>"How are you still standing!?" I gaped at her.</p><p>"I told you- Adrenaline and five cups of coffee a day!" Gina grinned with a proud smile while she poked the broken halves of the chair and the quiver and watched them disappear into her phone.</p><p>"That's a load of pegasus dung. How can anyone possibly enjoy drinking that much coffee?" Takumi scoffed while Gina rubbed the back of her neck and let out a nervous chuckle.</p>
<hr/><p>Somewhere in Zenith, a black-armored blonde man sneezed into his cape in front of a black-robed, long-haired blonde girl.</p><p>"The Askrans are taking longer than I thought." The girl mused. "Did you say something?"</p><p>"No, but I could have sworn I heard someone talking about me." The man sniffled. "No matter. Do you want a ride on my horse?"</p><p>The girl nodded and smiled at the older man. He dismounted the horse and pushed her up his mount.</p>
<hr/><p>"Anyway- our order is small, but welcome to our ranks." I looked down at her with a warm look and reached out my hand to her. "Please, help us find more Heroes to assist us. Now that you're here, I just know that we'll win our fight against the Emblan empire."</p><p>"Not like either of us have a choice." Takumi huffed and clenched his bow. "What say you, Summo-"</p><p>Gina let out a wordless gasp as Takumi and I found the pointed end of a greatsword jutting out of her stomach, glowing with a pale blue light. Blood ran through her mouth as she slipped through like melted butter. I looked up to see a familiar knight floating above us. Purple tendrils danced around his body as the holes in his helmet glowed with a menacing red. The air tasted metallic as steam formed from the knight's weapon. I shuddered as the air around me felt heavier. I ran to Gina and caught her before her body touched the grass.</p><p>"You will not leave here alive..." The knight rasped and leveled his sword at me- I glared at him and pulled Gina close to my chest.</p><p>"What I would do for some combustible lemons right now," Gina murmured with a soft gasp. I flinched and looked down. Her arm wrapped around my back while her other arm hung limp. There was a large tear in her vest from her chest to her hip and she was struggling to stay awake.</p><p>Takumi let out a large salvo of arrows into the knight, but nothing happened.</p><p>"It didn't work?" Takumi lowered his bow and glared at the knight.</p><p>"Don't need good eyes... to see... null... attack..." Gina mumbled.</p><p>"Do you mean Embla's Ward?" Gina nodded with a grunt.</p><p>"Anna. Take..." Gina let out a harsh, wet cough and huffed. "Leave me... take the gun."</p><p>"What!?" I gasped. "I'll die if I try to wield the Briedablik again! I am NOT leaving you behind."</p><p>"Thought you were going... leave me... bandit."</p><p>The knight stepped closer, a step forward increasing the tension in the air.</p><p>Takumi and I turned to the Summoner with horrified looks. Is that what she really thought of me?</p><p>The knight held his sword in a two-handed grip and raised his sword high.</p><p>"I don't care if you summon <em>that</em> Nohrian scum at this point. Just do something!" Takumi yelled.</p><p>Gina grunted and lifted the Briedablik in her left hand. I felt time down as she leveled the divine weapon towards the greatsword. Takumi's voice sounded faint, drowned out by the loud cries of mine and Gina's heartbeats. I heard a click and the plains of Askr whited out.</p>
<hr/><p>I blinked and lowered my ax arm as Takumi, Gina and I appeared in front of the castle entrance. Alfonse ran out of the castle to greet us.</p><p>"Commander Anna! You're all right!" Alfonse called and turned to Gina. "Wait, who is this with you? Could it be…?"</p><p>"It is, Prince Alfonse! The legend is true." I nodded and held Gina close. "This is Gina. She's the summoner, even if she doesn't seem like the Great Hero at first glance. I hate to say it, but we're going to have to leave her behind on this one."</p><p>"What happened out there?" Alfonse asked.</p><p>"We were caught off-guard by a sword knight," Takumi answered. "If the Summoner didn't do what she did, we wouldn't even be here!"</p><p>"You did good, Takumi." I turned towards the archer. "Stay in the Great Hall for now until further notice."</p><p>Takumi nodded and entered the castle. Alfonse walked closer to me and grabbed the summoner by the other shoulder. We entered the castle and passed through the Great Hall. I ignored Virion's flirting and Matthew was being a good big brother to Raigh. I wasn't sure how they had wandered into Askr, but I smiled for a moment before I shifted my hips as Alfonse and I carried Gina towards the healer's wing.</p><p>"Please tell me we have healers on duty!" I grunted as I took a quick glance at her.</p><p>"We do," Alfonse answered.</p><p>"Good." I nodded. "Because Gina's going to need all the help she can get."</p><p>Alfonse and I finally found the infirmary with Gina in tow. The healer was about to make a comment about Gina's appearance, but I glared at her and lowered Gina into a nearby cot.</p><p>I turned to Gina with a forlorn look and sighed. I had one job and I almost screwed it up.</p><p>"Commander Anna, I have dire news." Alfonse clenched his fists. "The empire has newly taken over that world. We need to make our way to the World of Mystery to free it! There is one more thing. I spotted someone odd with the soldiers near here. A strange man. Not an imperial soldier. Nor a Hero from the World of Mystery now under their control."</p><p>"A strange man, you say?" I put a finger to my chin and frowned. "Did he seem allied with the Emblan Empire?"</p><p>"I don't know." Alfonse shook his head. "I have never seen him before. He wears a mask and keeps his face secret from even them. But now, we must rush into battle."</p><p>"I'll tell everyone else the news." I nodded with a determined frown."We'll meet up with you then."</p><p>I took one last look at Gina and left the infirmary as she was swarmed by healers.</p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>LV 2<br/>SPD +2<br/>ATK +1<br/>HP +1</p><p>Learned Distant Counter, Smite, and Miracle</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Coffee 1B - A Coffee Addict's Orientation (Gina)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Gina wakes up to her new employers and workplace, undergoes orientation, and gains a new work uniform.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I did decide to give Gina a Darksign tattoo as a nod to the one guy (or girl) who wanted Dark Souls! Kiran... and I ain't givin' out any spoilers.</p><p>I also want to make sure that future chapters are up to par with previous chapters. The character sheet doesn't count, but I do have a serious backlog of characters to write.</p><p>I didn't write out the World of Zenith chapter because Gina being incapacitated for the length of that chapter would not make a difference. I'm also sorry if the chapter seems boring- I'm still not used to being able or having time to write long chapters.</p><p>I also apologize in advance for a certain scene either from bad writing or from the unexpected nightmare fuel. I also want to clarify that I did not write that scene because I was feeling angsty.</p><p>With that out of the way, lemme know if you have questions, problems, or comments. HB out~</p><p>Briedablik = Stupid Gun, Anna = Red, Sharena = Sunny</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
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  <strong>CHAPTER 1B:</strong>
</p><p><strong>A Coffee Freak's Orientation </strong> <strong>(Gina)</strong></p><p>Most sane people wouldn't point a gun, much less a rocket launcher at their feet. I've only been to Zenith for a total of... two hours? Yeah, that sounds about right. So my phone is now a Pip-Boy in all but name thanks to the background magic. As for the gun Red gave me? It's only supposed to summon Heroes. not do what I did with it.</p><p>And I'm a legendary hero? No, I'm either an accident or a mistake. Yeah, that's it. Wait a minute.</p><p>Eh, that's all I got. The only caveat is the one clip and five shots. Without the orbs or any alternate ammo, it draws from my stamina, running the risk of... something. Tip on my tongue- I'll cross that bridge when I see it.</p><p>As much as Red wanted me to take the gun and fucking run, I didn't. There was nowhere for me to run and hide and it felt fucking wrong leaving her alone.</p><p>At least those sixty-five hundred hours in the TF2 jump maps are finally put to good use... even if the terrain's destructible. And the physics are weird. Yeah, I'm not going to use 'em near any towns or cities anytime soon.</p><p>I ran past Red, took a glance at the charging axeman, and summoned Briedablik with a twitch of my fingers. I aimed at my foot, jumped, and pulled the trigger before the axeman can take a swing at me. I chuckled to myself when I saw him stop and blink... even though I can't see his face. I sailed through the air and caught a glance of an archer nocking their arrow at me.</p><p>I ignored the stinging pain in my cheek, leaned forward, and pulled my arms close to my chest. I felt the enemy archer's confusion after I landed with a pained grunt and a faceplant. The archer blinked and scratched his head before switching their bow for a dagger. I heard a grunt and rolled away before they could stab me. I stood up and rubbed the grass off my clothes. I fell back and leaned against the archer's left hand- their dagger nicking my face.</p><p>Except that the archer's attack felt like it was moving in slow-mo.</p><p>He twirled and kicked me in the face with a masculine grunt. I staggered back and snarled as I planted my foot on the grass and wiped away the blood from my nose.</p><p><em>"Canst thou heareth mine voice, delicious friend?" </em>A honeyed, sultry voice called out.</p><p>I quirked a brow at the voice. I shuddered from a mix of caffeine running down my spine and the crisp, mountain air. My eyes tightened as blades of grass sharpened underfoot. I shifted my ears towards the sound of string pulled taut followed by the crunch of grass and dull footsteps.</p><p>"I'm not a delicious snack, you sick fuck!" I snarled as the archer's dagger brushed against my cheek. "How the hell did you get ahold of me!?"</p><p><em>"Thou amuseth me with your brand of chaos, delicious friend. If thou art not allied with the merchant-keeper, I couldst have sparest thine life as mine servant.</em>" I frowned. I caught a glance of a woman hiding her smile behind her hands with a honeyed, sultry laugh.</p><p>"Over my dead body!" I growled after I heard the voice laugh again.</p><p>"So be it." I raised a brow at her smirk. "Until we meet again, my delicious friend."</p><p>"Who are you talking to?" The archer asked me with a bewildered look as he frowned and lowered his bow.</p><p>"Hell if I know." I shrugged at the confused enemy archer. "It seems we are at an impasse."</p><p>"We are?"</p><p>Do you even know who or what the Summoner looks like?" I tapped my chin and crossed my arms.</p><p>"Um... no?" The archer gulped after I looked at him with a raised brow.</p><p>"Let me guess, you were expecting someone taller? Decked in white and yellow robes?" The archer nodded. "Well, I'm not the one you're looking for."</p><p>"But you were wielding the divine weapon Briedablik earlier!" The archer protested. "Surely, you're the Summoner."</p><p>"I don't have a hero with me, so you can't prove that."</p><p>"I saw you with the red-headed commander! You're obviously with Askr."</p><p>"Well... it was worth a shot." I rolled my eyes and sighed. The archer hung his shoulders and was about to brandish his dagger when I summoned my folding chair and threw it at his head like a javelin. He staggered and fell back with a pained groan. I picked up the dagger that had landed by my feet and walked closer while he was keeled over with a disoriented gaze.</p><p>
  <em>So much for that speech check.</em>
</p><p>I walked closer to the downed archer until I stood over him with the dagger in my hand and plunged it hard into his lightly armored stomach. I heard a gurgle and waited until he stopped breathing. For good measure, I stabbed his throat with an arrow and snapped his bow in half.</p><p><em>"Oh, how tremendous! The Rite of Dreams worked."</em> A cold and maternal voice cheered.</p><p>"What do you-," I winced at the new voice.</p><p><em>"My apologies, Summoner Kiran, but this is a dire matter."</em> I frowned at the mention of the 'name' and looked around. No one else stood in front of me and the archer was unconscious. I crossed my arms and looked down at the grass while I rubbed my chin with my right hand. The image of a shiny Gardevoir with an ice-blue chest-horn and eyes came to mind as I tried to imagine the owner of the voice.</p><p>"A'ight, I'll bite." I grunted and folded my arms as I asked the voice, "What's so dire that you're resortin' to asking a random stranger for help and what's this about the Rite of Dreams?"</p><p><em>"The Rite of Dreams is a special rite that allows me to speak with Briedablik's chosen wielder. As for why you are chosen, Briedablik has sensed your potential.</em><em>" </em>I relaxed my shoulders and frowned. <em>"Ah, how rude of me. I haven't introduced myself yet. I am Gunnthra, priestess-in-training and eldest princess of the Kingdom of Nifl."</em></p><p>"Wow... I mean," I mumbled and coughed into my throat. "The name's Gina. Gina Chandel, a former baker."</p><p><em>"I was not aware that you can change trades, but nevermind that. </em><em>You've been drawn into the chaos of war... I want to do whatever I can, no matter how small, to help you.</em><em>" </em>Gunnthra paused. I closed my eyes and imagined her looking at me with a furrowed brow. She stepped closer to me and clasped my hand in her dainty, three-fingered hands. I looked up to see specks of gold in her eyes. <em>"Are you willing to receive the blessing of Nifl?"</em></p><p>"I ain't the religious type, but okay." I frowned with pursed lips and lowered my hands.</p><p><em>"Very well. Summoner Regina Chandel, chosen wielder of the divine weapon Briedablik."</em> Gunnthra intoned with a solemn look. <em>"Dost thou accept the blessing of the ice dragon Nifl, knowing it ties you together and your actions reflect on each other?" </em>She let go of my hands and stepped back.</p><p>"I do." I nodded. A mote of light appeared underfoot. I took a step forward with Gunnthra walking next to me. The mote of light grew larger with each step and I kept walking until a snowflake appeared in front of me. I looked up to hear the faint chants of a barbarian choir. The chants grew louder as I walked closer... as if beckoning me to touch it. I stood at arm's reach and held my hand over the snowflake. It felt cold and fragile to the touch and I heard the sound of shattered glass as I shuddered and crushed it in my grip. Green gusts of wind swirled around my hand and swam towards my body as the chants synched with my heartbeat.</p><p>"I... I'll help you." I held my fist and pulled it close to my heart as I felt the wind circle me. I opened my eyes, staring solemnly at the expansive plains of Askr as Gunnthra disappeared and the chants died down. "I'll take your blessing."</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>I twitched and let out a wordless scream as I felt a large, metal object pierce through the right side of my body. A menacing, pale blue pillar dominated my vision as the grass and sky blurred out into an aquamarine mess. Heat crept up my limbs and spread out from the large wound on my back and waist. My limbs hung limp and the sleeves on my shirt burned away to reveal my shoulders.</p>
  <p>I felt a tingling sensation in my back and waist which gave way to a long, loud sizzling hiss and an intermittent crackle like raw steak on a hot pan. Steel and cooked meat-scented air crept up my nose and stung my eyes. Hot tears and blood trickled down my eyes and mouth and boiled into steam.</p>
  <p>I struggled to stay awake as I felt a strong weight push down on my back and static buzzed at the back of my head. My mohawk blew back against the nonexistent wind as I watched the grass pull itself closer to me. I blinked to find myself in a black void and fell as if pulled down by a weight. My throat was too hoarse and dry from screaming earlier. A red speck of light appeared in front of me and turned supernova. I only had the strength to close my eyes as I fell into the light. I opened them to see that red filled my vision.</p>
  <p>I screamed as my lower body burned and tried to swim up against the water, but a weight pulled me down. Except... it wasn't water. No, it was too hot and viscous and the water just tasted plain hot.</p>
  <p>I wasn't sure how deep this was, but I at some point lost feeling in my fingers as they melted away. My chest and arms were next, as my legs were gone. I was forced to feel (as I couldn't see anything) my arms and chest slowly burn away like a cigarette. Heat crept up my shoulders and burned into my neck.</p>
  <p>I choked and gurgled from the liquid fire as it slowly flowed down my throat and entered my lungs and expelled the last bit of air I had. I summoned Briedablik and pulled the trigger before I blacked out.</p>
</blockquote><p>The ground felt soft, damp, and cold; the wind howled against my ears and bit into my arms and face. I blinked and tried to move my arms. They felt sore and heavy and refused to move. Moving my legs was out of the question, but I felt a diminishing warmth pool around my back and waist.</p><p>I smelled pine and roses. The snow under me boiled into steam and I couldn't see anything past my hands. The air thickened until it obscured even MORE of my view. I rolled on my back and repressed a groan when I felt my back burn and a jolt of pain climb up my spine. I spat out the snow that fell on my face and coughed.</p><p>I regretted that when I felt pressure along my lower back and my spine tingled in the wrong places. I breathed into my nose and waited until the pain died down.</p><p>I was about to close my eyes when I heard a soft, metallic chime followed by a gentle, golden glow. It sounded like it came from the right, so I ignored the pain and rolled facing the light. It flashed like the two lights from a police car, then into a steady pace like a heartbeat.</p><p>I looked down and watched the snow near my right arm turn into a deep red. I instead shifted my focus towards the light ahead of me. It grew brighter with an amorphous, golden aura. I flinched at the soft footsteps and looked back at the snow over my body with a resigned sigh. The light disappeared and the footsteps grew louder.</p><p>The coppery feeling in my mouth and the dry mountain air made it hard for me to talk. The sirens in my head started to lull me to sleep. I felt the snow against the back followed by a delicate touch against the base of my neck. I let out a weak groan as the heat continued to spread out from the large wound on my waist. I opened my eyes to see a soft golden light with tiny snowflakes glowing near my waist. I looked up to see a tall, teal, and white humanoid Pokemon with a large head and an ice-blue chest-horn towering over me.</p><p>I grunted when I felt a long and teal three-fingered hand on my chest. It felt cold as the surrounding snow, but also light and gentle- didn't hurt at all. I followed the hand and blinked at the soft, large ice-blue eyes staring back at me. Except... her soft, ice-blue eyes were cast downward towards my shoulder. She nodded at me with pursed lips giving way to a melancholic smile.</p><p>"Gods... I had hoped to meet you, Summoner Gina." The shiny Gardevoir spoke. "Not like this."</p><p><em>That voice...</em>"Neither of us did." I groaned and tried to move, but Gunnthra pushed me back into the snow with a gentle push and a firm stare. "How did you find me?"</p><p>"I followed the light emanating from the divine weapon Briedablik and found you bleeding out," Gunnthra replied while she focused her glowing hands on my waist. "You would have died if I had not conferred that blessing."</p><p>"You saved my life- I am eternally grateful." I breathed into my nose and laid still. "How much money do I have to fork over?"</p><p>"What a strange saying. You do not owe me anything except for the chance to see you again, child." I shuddered as she laughed her musical, bell-like laughter behind her hand and pulled away from my waist. "Do you feel any pain?"</p><p>"For now, no." I snorted. I pursed my lips and leered at the maternal Gardevoir. "...I'm twenty-five."</p><p>"Oh? But you look so young. You appear at the same age as my younger sister." Gunnthra blinked and looked down at me with a furrowed brow. She stood to her full height and pulled me up with a firm grip with a small giggle. "It was an honest mistake."</p><p>
  <em>If there are any gods out there, please grant me a quick death and a ticket to the appropriate afterlife. Preferably one that doesn't have pastel-colored ponies. Or spontaneous musicals.</em>
</p><p>"I have something to ask of you." I looked up at her with awe and tried to repress a blush as she clasped my hand in her larger, dainty hands. They were pale and cracked with tiny ice flakes seeping into my hand. "I want you to stay safe and keep my sister unharmed."</p><p>
  <em>Wait, what!?</em>
</p><p>She started to glow with a blue aura and released her grip with a kind smile before being swallowed by the light. I covered my eyes and whited out...</p>
<hr/><p>I woke up in an unfamiliar room and groaned to myself. The mattress felt firm and the rock below my head felt soft. The large room looked sparse save for several wooden dividers. Other than my right arm and my chest, I was otherwise covered in large, white sheets and found a large mass of light brown hair over my right eye. The left side of my head felt drafty and sandpaper-like.</p><p>I ignored the hair over my eye and sat up from the harsh sunlight shining on my face. I looked down to see that the sheets covering my legs were actually honest-to-god furs and the bedding under my legs felt rough in several places.</p><p>I shivered from the strong draft and rubbed my bare arms. I was surprised to see that they still had muscle, though I wasn't surprised that they didn't feel as firm compared to before. My torso felt tight in different places, but it was covered in a sleeveless, light blue dress. I didn't want to risk violating any public decency laws by taking off my dress. I wasn't happy that someone had stuck me in a dress but ignored it.</p><p>I slipped off the cot, though with some difficulty because it was a tad large for my size. The dress seemed more fitting for a taller person and as loathe as I admit, made me feel... pretty. I don't know how to feel about that.</p><p>I waddled to a large window draped with off-white curtains. It took me a while because my feet were asleep from being fucking bedridden for who knows how long. A tower of grey in a sea of sky and grass greeted me. I looked down at my shoulder and noticed a large, thin black burning circle. It looked as if a chunk of my shoulder had been branded and burned off at the top. Looking at it seemed familiar and important and touching the tattoo didn't hurt my shoulder.</p><p>I stood straight and felt a strange pain on my lower back, while my waist hurt when I gently poked at it. I let out a dejected sigh and covered my shoulder with my left hand. I stiffened and lowered my left hand when I heard a pair of soft clicks followed by a loud giggle. I felt an amorphous, gun-shaped mass when I held my right hand over my hip. I breathed into my nose and looked up when I felt a familiar gloved hand on my left shoulder. I looked over my shoulder and spun around, expecting a tall, redheaded woman in white clothes and scaly, gold armor. I breathed into my nose and made a disappointed leer when I was instead greeted by a tall, young woman with long, blonde hair tied in an ornate braid and... And...</p><p>
  <em>Are those pink highlights? Yep, those are pink highlights.</em>
</p><p>Nah, I'm just seeing things. I shook my head and sat down on the cot when the door opened.</p><p>"Oh, Kiran~" A familiar voice sang.</p><p>"Fuck my life," I growled and craned my head towards the lock of red hair out of the corner of my eye. I glared at a familiar, redheaded woman in white robes and gold armor standing at the edge of the infirmary. She giggled and waved her hand at me. "Who told you about 'that' name!?"</p><p>"No one did. I was just lucky." Red giggled. "I don't know... 'Kiran' rolls off the tongue better than 'Gina', don't you think, Summoner?"</p><p>I hung my shoulders and let out a resigned sigh. "Whatever floats your fucking boat, Red."</p><p>"Oh, you do remember me? Good." Red shrugged and pulled her stool closer to my head. "Gods, you scared me to death with that stunt you pulled," I replied with a blank stare and a blink. "You mean you don't know?"</p><p>"I don't remember much between now and meeting you. " I crossed my arms with a grunt. "How long was I out?"</p><p>"You've been out cold for a week," Red answered evenly with a small nod. "Any questions will have to wait until Alfonse is here."</p><p>"Fine." I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Do I have to fork over an arm an' a leg to pay for all this?"</p><p>"What a strange saying, no you don't owe me anything. Money is replaceable, lives are not." Red poked my forehead and giggled. "There is a custom in Nifl that people who are rescued from a snowbank are honor-bound to help their rescuer."</p><p>"That sounds like something that can be exploited," I answered. "Have you been there before?"</p><p>"Not personally, no." Red withdrew her hand and shook her head. "I know a fair number of people in the pegasus corps and the blacksmith's guild who are of Niflese descent. But I do agree with you that customs can be exploited for the wrong purposes."</p><p>"It ain't like there's someone in Zenith who takes debts seriously... "I frowned with an uncertain pause. "Right?"</p>
<hr/><p>Across the world of Zenith in a continent to the east; a wheat-haired young woman wearing teal clothes and thin feathered boots in a country of ice and snow dropped her spear and sneezed.</p>
<hr/><p>As if on cue, the door opened to reveal a tall, blonde young woman and a shorter, blue-haired young man garbed in white clothes and scaled gold armor.</p><p>"Hello, Commander!" The blonde waved at Red. I blanched and leered at her when she turned to me with a winning smile. "Who is your friend?"</p><p>"This is Gina." Red turned to me with a devilish smile. "She's the summoner... even if she doesn't look like the Great Hero at first glance."</p><p>"Unbelievable." The blue-haired young man blinked while I glared at Red as she snickered at me. "So you're our Great Hero, come to us from another world, Summoner Gina. I am Alfonse, Prince of Askr, and member of the Order of Heroes."</p><p>The young woman beamed at me and walked up to me with a giggle. "In that case, I'm Sharena- Alfonse's darling little sister."</p><p>"Anyway, the name's Gina. Gina Chandel." I took a deep breath and breathed into my nose as I turned to Alfonse and Sharena. "Call me by 'that' name and you're in for a world of hurt, titles be damned. Capiche?"</p><p>"World of hurt, eh?" Red winked at me and giggled. "You're one to talk, shortstack~"</p><p>Sharena shifted her gaze at me and turned back to Red. "She's uh... definitely not a noble."</p><p>"No shit, Sherlock." I scowled. "What else is fucking new?"</p><p>"I don't have a choice on whom I can summon, Sharena." Red shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "But at least we're in good hands."</p><p>"I'm sorry to ask this of you so soon after we've met, but I need your help." Alfonse cleared his throat. "Our order is devoted to fighting the Emblian Empire, which invades worlds where Heroes are from. One of these is the World of Mystery."</p><p>"You've been doing fine without me." I rubbed my chin while I looked down on the floor. "What the hell happened?"</p><p>"Our forces drove back Emblian forces, but barely," Alfonse let out an exasperated sigh and continued. "We may have driven back Xander and Veronica, but most of that world has already been taken over."</p><p>"So what am I gonna be?" I blinked and returned to massaging my shoulder. " Live bait?"</p><p>"Actually... no." Red tapped her chin and snapped her finger as if a light bulb appeared above her head. "You're the tactician, Kiran!"</p><p>"Seeing as I'm your last and only hope, fine- I'll do it," I mumbled to myself and turned to Red, who looked at me with a resolute stare. I hung my shoulders and groaned. "Hate to say it, but I'll be relying on you lot to... To-"</p><p>"Help?" Sharena offered.</p><p>"Yeah, that." I let out a resigned sigh and buried my face under my hands. "Thanks, Sunny."</p><p>"There's nothing wrong with asking for help." Sharena sat down at the foot of the cot with a small giggle.</p><p>"N-no, there ain't, but-" I breathed into my nose and frowned. "Speaking of which, where are my <em>normal</em> clothes and why am I wearing an oversized shirt? They're not much, but they're all I have other than my phone."</p><p>"About that... the healers were able to salvage your armors and trousers- your tunic is beyond repair." Red winced and sucked in her breath. "They also couldn't find anything in your size as they weren't expecting well, someone of your stature... no offense."</p><p>"None taken. Ugh, fine." I glared at Red and sighed. "I can always buy another, though something tells me my money's useless here."</p><p>"It's a miracle your armor can be salvaged at all, but you're wearing something else for the time being." Red stood up and leaned against the divider with her left hand resting against her hip. "One more thing."</p><p>"Do you want Alfonse and I to leave?" Sharena asked.</p><p>"For now." Red nodded.</p><p>"I can-" I raised my finger and frowned.</p><p>"Swallow your pride by planting your butt on the cot or I <em><strong>will</strong></em> extend your stay." I flinched and sat down after Red glared at me while holding a pair of long, leather boots on top of a large, white and gold bundle of clothes.</p><p>"This is for me?" I pointed to myself and sighed.</p><p>"Of course. But I want you to take it slow. I don't want you bleeding out before we leave the castle. " Red nodded and handed over the bundle to me. "This is your uniform- the tunic and pants are fine, but the coat is made for a big guy. I'm sure you can improvise with that mind of yours."</p><p>I rolled my eyes and sighed.</p><p>"Here- you can have this back."Red grinned and tossed a familiar black object to me.</p><p>"We can finish debriefing once you are decent, Summoner." Alfonse cleared his throat and flashed a smile while I fumbled around with my phone.</p><p>I waited until the two left the infirmary checked the time and was honestly surprised that the time was changed. I unlocked my phone and found to my surprise that the clock and the weather apps were still intact. Next, I looked over the new apps on my phone. First, the FEH app was changed from a blonde girl with a snowflake to a book with a Nordic knot of a dragon's foot and renamed to "Roster". The app next to the Roster was a 16-bit chest labeled "Inventory". I opened it up and flicked down and gaped at the contents. I found the data for the broken remains of my chair, a quiver of fifteen arrows, my wallet, and car keys.</p><p>I closed the app and moved on.</p><p>The final app had a quill over a rolled up piece of parchment labeled "Map". Opening it revealed a 2D world map labeled "Zenith", complete with two landmasses. For some strange reason, the continent to the northwest was greyed out.</p><p>I decided not to dawdle anymore and left my phone at the end table at the foot of the cot. I closed the windows, grabbed the bundle of clothes, and walked back to the cot. I looked around and checked the infirmary to make sure that no one had a chance at peeking and took off the god-awful hospital dress. As I suspected, my chest was covered in cloth chest bindings... and my bra was most likely burned off and unsalvageable. Also, my waist was covered by a crapton of bandages; they were wrapped in a way that I could still breathe. I grabbed the shirt from the bundle and noticed that it was a two-tone blue shirt with a large, gold chevron. I looked at it one more time before I put it on.</p><p>Next, I sat down on the cot and slipped on the pants. I looked down and noticed that they were white with a thick, gold chevron at the thigh area and I'm sensing a pattern here. I shrugged it off and noticed a pair of long, red socks and a leather corset with a thick, red belt and these gold-</p><p>
  <em>I don't know, they remind me of pads you'd see on horse armor, so I'm sticking with that.</em>
</p><p>They stood out, so I decided to grab it from underneath the coat. I slipped on the socks over the pants, then the corset with the flank pads, (which really felt more like an oversized belt). Finally, I unfolded the next article of clothing and gulped.</p><p>The coat was a beautiful thing- the back was marked with the same symbol from the Roster app while the front had a crapton of gold lines that grew into complex lines towards the bottom. The hood's style sported yet ANOTHER chevron while the rest of the front end of the coat were adorned with thin, gold trim. Finally, the insides were sewn with dark blue fabric.</p><p>"Might as well get on with it."I sighed to myself as I stood up and slipped on the coat and the boots.</p><p>The coat and boots felt warm and heavy, but it was a different kind of heavy as the weight was more concentrated on my limbs and back instead of just my torso. Sort of like wearing ice-skating shoes for the first time.</p><p>Pulling the hood over my head made me feel more like a legendary assassin instead of a summoner. Shame I didn't have a pair of hidden blades on me, though. The hood on made it hard for me to see, but at least hearing was easier.</p><p>I stored my phone in a pocket and walked up to the door with my hand over the doorknob. I took a deep breath, twisted the doorknob, and stepped forward.</p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>LV 3<br/>RES +5</p><p>Gina is now wind-blessed!</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Coffee 2 - A Coffee Addict's Preparation (Gina)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Gina summons two Heroes from the World of Blazing who may or may not have met her in another life...</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I mainly write NSSA to improve my skill as a writer and to keep myself sane. Regarding summons, Takumi is the designated freebie because the version of Heroes I played was 2.5.0 at the time of writing. As for a certain busty malig knight, she'll be introduced in an upcoming chapter.</p><p>This story and I aren't dead but progress is slow, mainly because of my atrocious writer's block and the dumpster fire that is AD 2020. I also apologize for making everyone wait. I now want to give the Fates cast food-themed nicknames. I misread one of Alfonse's name as Fez so now he has that nickname until the next chapter.</p><p>As always, lemme know if you have questions, problems, or comments. HB out~</p><p>Comm. Anna = Red, Sharena = Sunny, Takumi = Pineapple, Alfonse = Fez (or boss)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
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<p></p><div class="resolved"><p>
      <strong>CHAPTER 2:</strong>
    </p></div></div><p><strong>A Coffee Freak's Preparation </strong> <strong>(Gina)</strong></p><p>I twisted the doorknob and stepped forward into a large, stone hallway. I looked up and stared at the banner placed above the room and smiled. It was a long, blue banner adorned by a rune of... something surrounded by gold trim. All I know is that I've been placed in some sort of infirmary.</p><p>After a few minutes, I took off my hood but kept my hand over my eyes while I adjusted to the light. I ignored Red and Alfonse, as they seemed occupied with their own business. Next, I looked to my left and sighed at the long, gold-trimmed blue carpet in the middle of the hallway. I took the time to pull out my phone from my coat pocket and opened up the camera. I found the photo of my glasses dated last week and huffed to myself. I kept on looking through the recent photos until I found a photo of Sunny winking at the camera. The next photo showed Alfonse poking at a small, snow-white horned owl. The third had Red drooling at a small burlap sack of money.</p><p>I sighed to myself and set the first photo to my lock screen when the air in the hallway turned frigid.</p>
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<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
  <em>I looked up and covered my eyes as Askarian stone shifted into an unfamiliar hallway. The carpet underfoot looked like it had seen better days- it felt old and worn in several places. It used to be deep teal, but it was so faded out that ended up being a shade away from blending into the hallway. The floor and walls were made of ice or rather an ice-like mineral and cyan-tinted snow.</em>
</p>
  <p>
  <em>I decided against touching the walls so I followed the carpet until it pointed to a large door. The few rooms I passed were open and empty save for the large teal banner of a Nordic knot of a snowflake. I continued to stare at it for a few minutes until I got bored and returned to the large door. A light touch and a quick hand-rubbing later, I learned that the door felt like touching a solid block of dry ice. Handling dry ice barehanded was asking for trouble. I backtracked through the hallway and returned to the room from earlier. The only pieces of furniture I can find in the room are a drawer and an old rickety bed with hay and thin fur. There weren't any windows in the room, but I did notice a small, circular grate tucked into a corner of the room.</em>
</p>
  <p>
  <em>I ain't happy with rifling through someone else's stuff, but it ain't like I have any other choice. Unfortunately, this is my new reality now, so I better put everything I learned from video games. I sighed to myself and opened the top drawer, revealing a pair of thick, dark-grey falconry gloves. I wasn't surprised that it looked and felt too big for my tiny hands, but I shouldn't complain.</em>
</p>
  <p>
  <em>At least this way, I won't have to risk freezing my hands off. I also realized that I was still wearing my new work uniform after looking down at my sleeved arms.</em>
</p>
  <p>
  <em>I searched the room next door and opposite the hall. Neither of them had anything I could use, save for a torn out note in the room next door. The note is unfortunately in Swedish. With that out of the way, I returned to the large door and pulled. It took me twenty minutes to open the damn thing and it didn't help that I lost muscle recuperating from... from... whatever got Red so spooked. Nor does it explain how and why I'm wearing bandages.</em>
</p>
  <p>
  <em>I answered my question after pulling at the edge of the door. It took me even longer because of the reduced grip from the gloves. I finally opened the damn door after a while only to reveal a large, empty hallway. I peered over the doors and blinked at the stretch of carpet underfoot. This one was dark blue with repeating chain-like gold rectangles and ovals on the sides. It looked even MORE worn out with tears at the edges. Underfoot, ornate carvings of snowflakes and half-circles dotted the icy floor.</em>
</p>
  <p>
  <em>I trudged to a nearby pillar and ran my gloved hand down. It was rectangular and felt cold and dry... like dry ice, but the texture felt closer to rock. To my far left, sunlight poured out through several large, stained glass windows. The first window featured a large, arctic-blue wyvern with pine treelike head spines and a large, bearded underjaw. Its underside sported cerulean belly scales and an arrowhead-shaped tail. It held a golden snowflake in its wings as it hovered above a mountain.</em>
</p>
  <p>
  <em>The second window showed a warrior stepping on the back of a bear holding a golden spear with an ice-blue blade. Next, the third showed a rogue and a bearded barbarian in a fur cloak and horned helmet on the left. They brandished a pair of throwing knives and an ice-blue broadsword against a troll. The fourth showed a mage on pegasusback. They held a white, winged book with one hand and a raised their other hand. To the right of the mage stood a draugr horde trapped in a tornado.</em>
</p>
  <p>
  <em>Finally, the fifth one showed a familiar white and gold gun in a teal background. An ornate spear and a white and gold winged book floated to the left. A pair of throwing knives and a marbled broadsword to the right. They were shining with a pale blue light against a firewall for some reason.</em>
</p>
  <p>
  <em>The fifth window for some reason reminded me of a priestess. I don't remember her name, but have I met her from somewhere?</em>
</p>
  <p>
  <em>I bumped into another wall and fell backward. The heavy coat dampened my fall, but I wasn't happy that there was another door in front of me. I looked up and let out a relieved sigh- it wasn't so big, but I'd have a hard time opening the damn thing.</em>
</p>
  <p>
  <em>A large, empty room greeted me. In front of me stood two blocky pillars. As I walked closer, I noticed a tall, dark blue altar engraved with a word wall below a thick, golden snowflake. I also heard the faint cries of a barbarian choir. A life-size wyvern statue from the first stained glass window towered over the word wall. The only source of light came from a large, stained glass window of a snowflake in a teal background. I stepped closer and followed the carpet, passing by two pools of water. I stepped closer to the altar and stared at the snowflake, then lifted my head to the wyvern statue.</em>
</p>
  <p>
  <em>I knelt in front of the word wall, about to read the script when I heard echoed footsteps. I blinked to find my vision awash in a soft, green filter and leered at the faint, bell-like laughter. The echoed footsteps stopped. I felt a hand squeeze my shoulder. It felt smooth, dainty, and cold.</em>
</p>
</blockquote><hr/><p>Except that the hand squeezing my shoulder felt warm. I blinked to find myself back in the massive east wing hallway of Askr... if I could see where I was going. I took my hood off and turned towards a tall, willowy woman in long white robes with gold accents. A leather belt adorned with pegasus feathers wrapped around her hips. A large cylindrical hat with a white veil covering her neck and upper back adorned her head. Pegasus feathers were sewn on the sides to cover her ears. It also had the effect of concealing her eyes.</p><p>"Are you Regina Kiran Chandel?" The tall cleric coughed into her fist and greeted me with a small bow. I bristled at the mentioned name, but ignored it and frowned at her.</p><p>"I am," I replied with a slow nod. "How did you know my name?"</p><p>"I found a strange card with your face. Is it yours?" The cleric presented a card and handed it over to me. It was beige and had my face and personal info printed on it. Yep, it's none other than my driver's license.</p><p>"Hey, my driver's license!" I lit up at the familiar card and pocketed it into my phone. "Thanks."</p><p>"Forgive my manners. I am Rangridr, I live in the east wing with the other clerics." Rangridr gave a small bow and folded her hands in front of her hips. "I had hoped to discharge you tomorrow, but seeing as Embla is about to invade us after taking over the World of Mystery..." She paused to let out a sharp breath. "I allowed Anna to take you with her to the mission on such short notice. On two conditions!"</p><p>"Conditions?" I repeated.</p><p>"Yes. Two conditions. I spent the last of the Recover staves keeping you alive. Unfortunately, it will be a moon until the castle has another shipment. If you come across any Recover staves in your travels, bring them to me. As a cleric, I am not allowed to pay you as I am under service of the crown, but you will be recompensed for services rendered." Rangridr replied and raised her middle and index fingers in front of her face.</p><p>"I can do that, Doc Ranger." I looked up at Rangridr with a furrowed brow. "Anything else?"</p><p>"I may not dissuade you from combat, since that is Anna and His Highness's duty." The cleric as she stood ramrod and placed her hands behind her back. She handed over a brown glass bottle with a long, narrow neck. "Take these bottles. These contain a medical solution meant to be taken three times a day for the next two months. If you run out, you can come back for more. Otherwise, the apothecary at the castle town can assist you if I am not available. I will notify him of this. I also urge you not to lean on your sides while you sleep. Or do any heavy lifting. I mean- no crates, no large weapons or no crates of large weapons. If you are here as an unrecognizable, blood-soaked mess, I will be very unhappy. Understood?"</p><p>"Crystal." I gulped and pushed my arms to my sides.</p><p>Rangrid let out an exasperated sigh and clapped her hands at me with a serene smile. "Splendid~ Now, if you can excuse me, I will be inside if you have questions."</p>
<hr/><p>I had forgotten about the quiet wrath of a medical professional as I heard the door close near me. Now I remember why I fear the hospital. I should be grateful that she did not gouge me for money so soon. Not sure how I can make a living as a tactician, but I'll have to rely on weapons and equipment OSP to make ends meet for now.</p><p>
  <em>Never thought my love for video games would be helpful here...</em>
</p><p>It was the sort of silence I would experience after coming home after a long day at the bakery. Nevermind that my hat and uniform smelled of freshly baked bread and sugar. The kind of silence accompanied by a thick book and two tankards of coffee by a roaring fire with Whetaur (may he rest in peace) for company.</p><p>Until it was broken by a voice. A warm and hopeful voice concentrated in a mix of rainbows, sugar, and sugar rainbows drowned in concentrated sunlight. Also, rainbows are hella spicy. Wait...</p><p>"There you are, Gina!" A familiar voice called out. "I was worried about you."</p><p>
  <em>It was nice while it lasted.</em>
</p><p>"Wha- Sunny?" I turned around to face Sunny. "How did you find me?"</p><p>"As much as I want to say I backtracked here, it was more like I followed a soft, metallic chime and found you." Sunny shook her head and squeezed my shoulder with a small smile and a firm grip. "I didn't know Briedablik can do that."</p><p><em>Neither did I. The stupid gun is more than meets the eye, that's for sure. </em>I looked at her for a few more seconds and then coughed into my throat.</p><p>"Anyway, the castle is large- you wouldn't want to get lost here." Sunny continued with a nod.</p>
<hr/><p>Sunny wasn't lyin' when she said the castle's large. Accordin' to her, the place I woke up in an area of the castle dubbed "the east wing"- the healer's wing. The back rooms housed the priests, clerics, and alchemists. Next, the rooms toward the front are large clinics.</p><p>"You must be a noble or a soldier if you know how to read and write." Sunny blinked at me while we walked. "Or a merchant?"</p><p>"I'm none of those." I rolled my eyes at Sunny before I turned towards the never-ending hallway. "I'm pretty much a commoner."</p><p>Sunny stopped walking and looked back at me as if I grew a second head. "I don't know... you're smart for a commoner. And you claim that you can read and write?"</p><p>"Hell yeah. " I shrugged and breathed into my nose. "Most jobs back home need you to be literate plus some other shit, an' I applied for a job, so I can pay for school."</p><p>"I wasn't aware you were a scholar before." Sunny frowned at me with a furrowed brow and rested her hands on her hips. "Did you study magic?"</p><p>I stopped and looked down at the long carpet underfoot. It was a solid blue, but instead of solid gold lines at the sides, golden braids replaced them. At some point, I heard a loud creak. Before I knew it, Sunny and I had passed by a pair of open wood and iron-reinforced doors. The pillars that dotted this wing were also marked with braids stretching who knows how far. Between the braided pillars stood a wooden door. Unlike the other one, this one is overgrown by moss in several places</p><p>"Where I'm from, magic doesn't fucking exist anymore. If it did, magic most likely would have died out before my great-grandparents' lifetime." I chuckled at Sunny then stared ahead at the long east wing hallway. "The closest we have to that are stage tricks, fairy tales, fantasy novels, and computer programming."</p><p>"I don't know what computer programming means, but it sounds a lot like magic~" Sunny giggled into her hand. "Up ahead is a small garden with a hidden portal to the summoning altar. Are you ready?"</p><p>I nodded at Sunny and kept walking. I stopped in front of a pair of large, open wooden doors. I stepped forward and covered my nose. The air in the garden smelled sweet and pungent. It also smelled of concentrated lightning. I stepped forward and looked up. The sight of a marble statue of a slender, feathered dragon greeted me. Thick, tree-like branching antlers perched on the side of its head. A pair of firm, muscular three-toed talons hovered over the round end like a crystal ball. A large shadow towered over me and it felt comforting.</p><p>I looked up to see a pair of feathery wings held high like a mother hen and her chicks.</p><p>I looked down to see its lower body and leaf-shaped tail coiled around the monolith base. I stepped closer to see that it was overgrown with moss.</p><p>Unlike the one at the summoning ruins, this one was overgrown with moss and did not have a hole or a carving of a tree. The carving in the middle looked closer to fingerprints.</p><p>"Who's this?" I looked over the statue.</p><p>Sunny turned to me. She looked up at the feathered dragon statue towering over us and the smaller monolith with a small nod. "This is Askr, one of the dragon-gods of Zenith and namesake of this country. Spring and light are his domains and owls are his heralds."</p><p>I looked up at Sunny with a furrowed brow and looked around. The garden in front of us was overgrown with low grass and small bushes. In short- it looked a filter away from looking like a pastel-colored paradise. Or nightmare in my case. I dread the day I summon someone from a world like that.</p>
<hr/><p>Somewhere in a flowery meadow, a young woman with yellow-orange butterfly wings sneezed. She summoned a grey pegasus plush with a blue mailman hat with her magic and hugged it. The plush came with a blue mailman uniform and a modified hat with butterfly wings and a small, gold plaque.</p>
<hr/><p>Sunny stepped closer to the monolith and placed her hand on top. She took a shallow breath as the monolith started to glow in a soft blue aura. A large puff of wind spread out from the monolith, but nothing happened. The channels underfoot in the stone masonry started to glow with a harsh light. The wind grew louder and spun faster around the garden and the monolith faded out into a solid white.</p><p>Smooth and hard, the ground underfoot appeared with worn-out but familiar masonry. I felt a strong draft around my head and lowered my arms. The air smelled crisp and earthy and cold. I blinked twice and waited until three, white and gold-clad blobs appeared. Behind the blue-haired blob and the blonde blob was a familiar monolith, hole, and carving in all.</p><p>"There you are, Sister." Alfonse greeted Sunny with a warm smile. "Summoner."</p><p>"Mornin' to ya, boss." I greeted Alfonse with a curt nod. I felt a light tap on my shoulder and turned to Sunny waving at me before walking over to Red.</p><p>I waited until he looked down at me with a small frown and his hands behind his back.</p><p>"Is something the matter, Summoner?" Alfonse asked while Sunny walked away. "Why are you looking at me like that?"</p><p>"I don't have a problem with you, Fez," I answered with a head shake. "But this place looks strangely familiar."</p><p>I pushed Fez to the side while I heard Red and Sunny laugh. I squinted and walked closer. The stone underfoot looked like a massive crack on the ground, but with a large circle in the middle. I looked up and stared at the monolith.</p><p>"Fez?" Fez blinked and frowned.</p><p>"...That wasn't on purpose. Uh... Forgot your name for a sec, boss." I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Anyway, what's a Vaskrheim?"</p><p>"Vaskrheim is an abandoned temple in the central hills of Askr. " Fez cleared his throat and continued, "It was also the last resting place of the divine weapon Briedablik and the place where Commander Anna summoned you."</p><p>"So that's the name of the stupid gun and the place where I was summoned." I twitched my fingers and a golden orb appeared. I turned to Fez while it died down to reveal Briedablik. "Was it just supposed to summoned Heroes?"</p><p>"According to the Great Hero prophecy, yes. Your summoning changed that." Fez hummed while he rested a finger on his chin. "I have heard from Anna and Takumi that you threw Briedablik like an ax in one battle. You also launched yourself closer to an enemy archer in another battle. Is it true?"</p><p>"I don't remember." I shook my head. "Between my life prior before this point and now, last week's a blur."</p><p>"I understand." Fez nodded. "I had forgotten that you spent that week incapacitated in the infirmary."</p><p>"Now that I think about it... someone<em> else</em> had to cover for me." I pursed my lips and tapped my cheeks with my fingers. "As far as I know, we don't have any <em>other </em>tacticians or strategists."</p><p>"We- no, I do." Fez blinked and continued, "As crown prince of Askr, I'm expected to learn everything there is to know to ascend the throne and that includes military strategy while Anna is the current commander of the Order of Heroes. We also have Virion. He is a reliable strategist in an emergency."</p><p>"You're royalty, so I'm not surprised." I hummed and tapped my chin.</p><p>While I was waiting for Red and Sunny to stop laughing. <em>Is it that funny?</em> I took out my phone and looked in the inventory app to find an orb case. <em>OMFG, </em><em>I seriously need to call it something else.</em></p><p>"Are you alright?" Fez frowned at me with a furrowed brow.</p><p>"Yeah. I... Thank you and Virion for covering for me, whoever he is." I looked back at Fez and nodded at him with a small smile. I pocketed my phone and a brown, leather pouch appeared at my feet. Except it wasn't- the pouch had turned into a rectangular case resembling a candy dispenser. I recognized a set of four, cough drop-sized orbs inside. Strange.</p><p>I picked up the "candy dispenser" and popped the orbs out. They felt warm to the touch as they enlarged to the size of a gumdrop. I pocketed the dispenser inside my phone and summoned Briedablik on my left hand. I twisted the gun to the side and did a quick inspection.</p><p>I opened the cylinder and noticed that it had five slots, so that would mean Briedablik's a five-shooter. I looked towards the back of the gun and noticed the absence of a hammer, which means it has a different mechanism.</p><p>I ignored the two pairs of footsteps tapping the stone underfoot. I had almost forgotten how nerve-wracking it would be to load ammo. Without glasses. I pushed the first orb into the chamber, ignoring the hushed chatter above me. I heard a soft click and twisted the cylinder until all the orbs are loaded. I pushed the cylinder into the barrel and spun it.</p><p>The cylinder didn't move, which is good. There were no dents or scratches on the barrel, so even better. I twirled Briedablik twice and blew out the end like a candle.</p><p>"If you have any <em>other </em>questions, speak now or forever hold your peace," I called out to Red and Sunny, who walked up to Fez and stood next to him.</p><p>I aimed the gun toward the monolith and planted my feet on the ornate masonry underfoot. I took a deep breath, cupped the bottom of the grip with my left hand, and pulled the trigger. I heard a faint click, then my hands jerked up and I heard a loud bang as I was blown back from the sheer recoil. A dense, white beam shot out of the barrel. It separated into five different colored wisps of light in a circular motion. They flew and converged into the hole in the middle of the monolith. For a split second, the hole sparkled with small motes of light. A large puff of mist spread out from the base of the monolith and the darker carvings glowed green. A small mote of light appeared at the base and the summoning altar whited out with a loud roar.</p>
<hr/><p><em>How the fuck am I not dead- oh wait. The stupid gun. Wait... </em>"...Are you still alive?" I heard Red ask.</p><p>I blinked and groaned while I heard the Askr Trio give a collective sigh of relief. "Ugh... the hell was that about?"</p><p>I blinked to feel the masonry on my left cheek and a draft blow by the right side of my head. My ears rang from the sheer recoil and I had a hard time steadying myself.</p><p>"It's fine. I can help myself." I growled out and coughed out a gob of blood. I pushed myself to my feet and ran my hand along the right side of my torso. It was a miracle that I haven't bled out, but I can't be too crazy for the next two months.</p><p>"Are you sure?" I glanced up at Fez, who kept a concerned and focused stare on me.</p><p>"It's fine." I raised my palm towards him and wiped the blood from my mouth. "'Sides, I can come so long as I don't fight. If I do end up cornered, well... I'd rather not reach that point."</p><p>The Askr Trio stared at me as if I was a child. I appreciate the concern, but it would be nice if they didn't treat me like a fucking porcelain doll! I looked around furtively before grabbing a palm-sized brown bottle from my phone, pulled out the cork, and chugged the whole thing. It tasted bitter, and very sour all at once and felt thick like molasses. The last taste reminded me of grape cough syrup.</p><p>"Better?" Sunny leaned close and stared at me in a sisterly way while I nodded at her.</p><p>I grimaced and stuck out my tongue. "You never told me your meds taste like grape cough syrup!?"</p><p>"Ha!" Red rolled on the ground cackling as her lips morphed into a fox-like grin. "If I had a gold coin for every time that someone told me that, I would be rich! Wait... what is cough syrup?"</p><p>"Cough syrup is a kind of medicine back home." I squinted up at Red, who recovered from her bout of laughter and stood up. "All I know is that it's made from a bunch of chemicals that I ain't smart enough to expound an' elucidate an' its made bitter on purpose so people won't keep eatin' it like candy."</p><p>Fez cleared his throat and turned towards the large pile of armor in front of the altar.</p><p>I walked closer to the pile of armor strewn on the ground. Except it wasn't a pile of armor. I was staring at the unconscious body of a bear in blue armor with gold accents and a red cape. Near him stood a golden ax two and a half times my size. I would have started poking him then and there if I had a stick on me. Shame.</p><p>I had to wait until he woke up and I'd be making a bad impression if I decided to <em>kick </em>him awake. The air around me thickened and started to heat up. I narrowed my eyes and bared my teeth at the bear as he rose to his full height. He towered over the Askr Trio and me and I don't know why that pisses me off even though I summoned him. I felt a jolt of electricity run down my spine as my hands crackled with black-green sparks.</p><p>"You seem familiar." A loud, boisterous male voice commented to Red.</p><p>"Oh, you must have mistaken me for one of my cousins. If I had a gold coin for every time someone mistook me for my cousins, I would be a rich woman." Red replied with a soft huff and wiped a tear from her eye.</p><p>"You there!" The bear called out to me. "Are you the one who summoned me?"</p><p>"Yeah. What of it?" I took a deep breath and squeezed my palm as I felt the sparks die down.</p><p>"You remind me of someone, though that person and I have not met yet." The bear looked down at me.</p><p>"Familiar... how?" I asked.</p><p>The bear was about to answer when a bright light appeared above him. I had enough time to step away from him when a waifish, lavender-haired girl and a pegasus fell on his head. I was also surprised by a sudden pull on my back when I felt something firm and grunted. I looked up to see myself looking up at Fez.</p><p>"My apologies, Summoner." Fez glanced towards the large pile and held his hand in front of me. "You would have been hit by the pegasus had I not pulled you at the last second."</p><p>"No problem." I turned to Fez, then at the large pile with a snort. "As long as you don't touch women's chests, you're fine."</p><p>"Gods, Summoner! That's indecent." Fez's cheeks burned as he coughed and averted his gaze. "Why would you say that!?"</p><p>"I've seen my fair share of drunk men dumb enough to do that. Especially in college." I commented. "And after work hours."</p><p>Fez blinked at me, then looked towards Red, who was being pulled up by Sunny. "Let's just check on the others, okay?"</p><p>I nodded and returned to the large pile. I heard pained groans from both the bear and the waifish woman, followed by a whinny from the pegasus sandwiched between the two.</p><p>"Wow, Gina. You managed to perform summon two Heroes at the same time. And from the same world." I walked closer to the pile and found Sunny staring at the pile with her mouth open. She blinked then turned to me with pursed lips. "You truly are the legendary summoner."</p><p>"Sunny?" I turned to Sunny with a furrowed brow.</p><p>"What are your orders, Gina?" Sunny asked.</p><p>I shuddered and sighed. I took a deep breath and looked up to her with a firm look. "I ain't done with the summoning session yet, so I want you to return to the castle. You're in charge of debriefing the current mission to any heroes found in our employ."</p><p>"What about us, Summoner?" It was Fez's turn to ask. I turned to him with a firm nod and a soft grunt.</p><p>"You and Red are going to help me convince any new heroes from this session to fight for us," I answered. "I'd rather not force 'em to fight if they don't want to and I'm well aware that charisma is not my strong suit."</p><p>I summoned Briedablik and knelt in front of the pile with a heavy breath.</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p> </p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Summons for the chapter: Hector, Florina</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Coffee 3 - A Coffee Addict's First Debriefing (Gina)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Gina summons a pair of Heroes from Ylisse, meets up with the rest of her coworkers, and experiences her first set of battles as the Summoner and Head Tactician for the Order of Heroes.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I was supposed to write three chapters, but I went over my head trying to do that. So... for my sanity, I'm publishing two instead. The third chapter will be ready when I finish writing it. I also have no idea if I wrote the other Heroes in-character, so I'm hoping that I have. Also, not everyone will have nicknames... like Lyn, Florina, and Matthew.</p><p>Party for this chapter: F!Robin, Florina, Takumi, Matthew</p><p>As always, lemme know if you have questions, problems, or comments. HB out~<br/>Alfonse = Boss, Hector = Bear, F!Robin = Reflet, Gaius = (Mr.) Diabetes (or bub), Virion = Cravat (or Frenchie), Veronica = Loli, Marth = (Lord) Blueberry, Caeda = (Lady) Blueberry</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div>
<p></p></div><p> </p>
<p></p><div><p> </p>
<p></p></div><p>
  <strong>CHAPTER 3A:</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>A Coffee Freak's First Debriefing (Gina)</strong>
</p><p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>I unlocked my phone and entered the app store. I recognize most of them from stupid ads and frankly- most of them can suck eggs and drown in a dumpster fire. I sighed and rolled my eyes at the list of apps and hoped to find a game that didn't have ads during gameplay. I kept on scrolling through the free RPG apps (and ignoring the fucking stupid romance ones) until I came across a black app with a girl and a golden snowflake.</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>"Fire Emblem... Heroes?" I looked at the app with a furrowed brow. "If this app turns out to have any sort of hentai, I will be very unhappy. And livid."</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>I sighed and stared at the app for a good five minutes while my thumb hovered over the download button. I took a deep breath and tapped the button and then I heard a voice in my head not unlike the kind of voice I'd hear from a Shakespearean play or the narrator from Darkest Dungeon or Bloodborne.</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>"So... thou hast answered the call?" A deep, middle-aged male voice echoed in my head. "I had expected someone pure of heart to answer."</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>"You can't have your cake and eat it too," I growled out. "The fuck do you want?"</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>"Such crass language..." The voice chuckled. "It seems that mine successor is a commoner. A commoner who has lost thine trade."</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>"Rub it in, why don't you?" I groaned. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but... I'm willing to offer my services. I don't care what job you give me, but I do care what my employers have to say."</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>"Thine heart speaks the truth. Very well, I will accept thine request." The voice hummed as I waited for the app to finish installing. I entered the app and waited for the title screen to finish loading. After the title finished loading, I left my phone on the table and walked to the kitchen to prepare my coffee.</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>I returned to my phone and tapped the title screen. I grimaced when a blue window popped up with an empty, dark blue box with a blinking cursor inside. Whatever handle I was going to use disappeared when I tapped the box and typed in my real name.</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>"Thine actions hath far-reaching consequences. May the gods of Midgard have mercy upon this poor, unfortunate soul." The voice hummed slowly. "Very well. Thou may call me Eclat.</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>The moment I pressed enter, it was then I realized that I had fucked up.</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><hr/><p>
  <em>You remind me of someone I have not met yet...</em>
</p><p>The armored bear was the first one to come to. I waited until he rolled his shoulders and looked down at me with a boisterous smile.</p><p>"I'm Hector, from Ostia." Bear stood tall as he swung his ax with a wolfish grin and pointed to himself with his other hand. "But I'm not its ruler. My brother, Uther, is marquess at the moment."</p><p>"Gina. I'm the summoner and tactician for the Order of Heroes." I looked up at the bear and turned to the young (by Bear's standards) woman standing next to her pegasus, hiding behind Red. "You recognized me even when we haven't met before."</p><p>"I do. I recognize you from your reputation as an itinerant, ax-loving tactician." Bear remarked and turned to the lavender-haired woman hiding behind Red. "You... are not what I had expected."</p><p>"...I'll take it as I will." I blinked and hummed.</p><p>"Something the matter, Gina?" Hector asked.</p><p>"Nothing for now, but..." I took a glance toward Red and the lavender-haired woman and back to Hector with a furrowed brow. "Anyway, I'd rather wait until everyone else is summoned."</p><p>"There are others?" Hector asked.</p><p>"Yeah. Other than the pegasus knight you were summoned with, you're the only other hero I've summoned so far." I answered. "As for why you're here, Embla is threatening the safety of Zenith and apparently the freedom of the multiverse by conquering worlds. Askr stands in the way of Embla's ambitions and-"</p><p>"Say no more. You had me at freedom and I get to crack skulls." Hector raised his hand over his arm and let out a boisterous laugh. "I better keep an eye on you."</p><p>"Fine." I let out a resigned sigh and rolled my shoulders. "The clerics did say I'm barred from fighting without a cleric, at least."</p><p>"What did you do, Gina?"</p><p>"...I don't really remember what I did." I frowned and rubbed my chin. "Whatever it was, it's bad enough for Red to keep mum on the matter."</p><p>I turned and walked toward Red and Boss talking with the pegasus knight. Boss stepped back and waited until Red and the pegasus knight stopped talking. Between the wind and the loud, cacophonic clanking from Hector's armor, it was hard for me to hear whatever it was they were talking about. I also took longer to walk thanks to the weight of my coat and boots.</p><p>"There you are!" Red called out. "Any luck?"</p><p>"Yeah." I squeezed my shoulder and pushed the hood off my head. The air felt cool and the wind died down while the other three walked closer to me. "Hector's decided to join, so what about you?" I turned to Boss with pursed lips and a flat look.</p><p>"It was difficult and I had almost forgotten about Florina's fear of men. " Boss flashed a small smile. "It was a good thing I had Anna with me, as she reacted better to women... and familiar faces ."</p><p>"Two for two, then. Do you know that Anna has cousins?" I asked.</p><p>"I do." Boss nodded and continued, "The library has documented everything about the Annas across the realms."</p><p>"Across Zenith or the other worlds?"</p><p>"Yes," Boss coughed into his fist.</p><p>I sighed and opened up the stupid gun. I pushed the loading chamber and checked inside to see that there are two slots left. I returned to the middle of the summoning altar and beckoned everyone to stand back. I closed the gun, took a deep breath. I aimed at the altar and pulled the trigger.</p>
<hr/><p>"I'm Gaius." A red-haired thief stepped out of the mist and rested his left hand on his hip. "You need a thief, I've got the goods- as long as you keep me in the sweet stuff."</p><p>"The name's Gina. I'm the one who summoned you." I crossed my arms and looked up at him. "As for why you're here, Embla is threatening the safety of Zenith and apparently the freedom of the multiverse by conquering worlds and enslaving heroes. Askr stands in the way of Embla's ambitions and- you know what? I won't force you to fight if you don't want to. I'm hella broke, so all I've got is useless money an' candy. I'm warnin' you- it ain't what you're used to."</p><p>"I'm intrigued." The thief rubbed his chin and hummed. "What sorts of candy have you brought to the table, Twitches?"</p><p>"I don't have any on me now, but all I have on me are three pouches worth of coffee candy," I answered. "Why Twitches?"</p><p>"...You have weird taste in candy." The thief blinked. "Your hands have been shaking the whole time we've been talking."</p><p>"I know." I snorted and smiled, then blinked and looked down at my hands, and oh, wow- I really haven't had any coffee for a while.</p><p>"So why the weird taste in candy?"</p><p>"Because I got tired of my old coworkers eating all of my candy, that's what." I glared up and looked at him with pursed lips. "I figured that if I got all the weird candies, I'd be left alone for a while... and I've had my weird taste in candy as far back as childhood."</p><p>"I see." Gaius nodded. "What kinds of other candy do you know about?"</p><p>"Look bub, I'd like to talk shop with you, but it's almost easier for me to list my favorite flavors. Like durian."</p><p>"What in Naga's name is a durian?"</p><p>"A durian looks like a large, yellow mace with a smell and taste that leaves a lot to be desired and it's one of those fruits that you have to handle with gloves or a strong grip," I explained. "I personally love both the smell and taste, but the candy is also an acquired taste. It smells like the actual fruit, but the scent's dialed down to a point that it's tolerable for most people."</p><p>"That explains things." Gaius rubbed his chin and looked at me with a furrowed brow. "What about payment?"</p><p>"You'll get your payment after I finish summoning everyone," I replied. "I don't know who, but I'd rather have everyone here so we can hear the debriefing."</p><p>"So, let me get this straight." Gaius looked down at me with a furrowed brow and waved his lollipop like a wand. "You want me to fight with and for you against an empire threatening the freedom of all heroes?"</p><p>"Yes?" I blinked and frowned at him with a questioning look.</p><p>"Sold." Gaius grinned.</p><p>"Wait, what!?" I blinked.</p><p>"Well... if you were expecting to do this dumb ritual to convince me to stay, you had me at candy and freedom. But mostly candy. You remind me of a friend of mine and you seem like someone I'd cheer for." Gaius listed out while replacing a sucker from his mouth.</p><p>"I've tried to make candy at some point... I am never underestimating sugar ever again. " I blinked and crossed my arms. "Anyway, would you like your payment in money or candy?"</p><p>"Yes." I buried my face in my hand and sighed as I told Gaius to stand with the others.</p><p>I took a deep breath as I aimed the gun at the altar and pulled the trigger.</p>
<hr/><p>I planted my feet into the smooth stone and covered my eyes. Mist faded away and the light died down to reveal a white-haired young woman in a purple coat with golden cuffs.</p><p>
  <em>Hector and Florina kind of know me, and it's safe to say that they've just met before I summoned them.</em>
</p><p>"Where did I wake up this time?" The white-haired woman groaned and rubbed the back of her head.</p><p>"Welcome to Askr." Boss stepped forward and greeted with a small smile.</p><p>"Thank you." The young woman nodded and turned to me with a furrowed brow. "Ah- I assume your friend brought me here?"</p><p>"The name's Gina. I'm the summoner and the tactician for the Order of Heroes." I nodded and turned to the Boss and Red, "The guy in white an' gold is Alfonse- I call him 'Boss' and this woman's name is Anna- I call her 'Red'."</p><p>"I'm Robin. I'm a tactician for Chrom's Shepherds." The white-haired young woman greeted me with a small hand wave. "I'm sure you'll find me useful on the battlefield."</p><p>"...I'm going to call you Reflet." I turned to the tactician with a small smile.</p><p>"Eh?" Reflet looked at me as if I had grown a second head.</p><p>"I have trouble remembering names, an' I've gotten tired of havin' to distinguish between different people with the same name. " I hummed and rubbed my chin. "So... I've resorted to givin' out nicknames to people."</p><p>"...I see." Reflet frowned and paled after taking a glance towards Red, who waved back at her with a fox-like grin.</p><p>"I don't see what the problem is, Bubbles." Mr. Diabetes shrugged. "Red's got family all over Archanea... and maybe Valm."</p><p>"I'll never get used to that." Reflet blinked. "Wait, that nickname... Gaius- is that you!?"</p><p>"In the flesh." Mr. Diabetes winked.</p><p>"I remember dying after dealing the final blow to Grima. I woke up in a void, heard the Summoner's voice, and ended up here instead."</p><p>"Strange. The Shepherds about to embark for Valm when I was summoned here. You're a guy where I'm from and last I checked, you just tied the knot with Tiki."</p><p>"I'm what!?" Reflet gaped. "That can't be right- I'm married to Sumia... and Chrom married Sully."</p><p>"Sorry, Bubbles. Liv's my beau... and Blue married Mari." Mr. Diabetes shrugged. "Never thought I'd hear 'Blue' and 'Sully' in the same sentence."</p><p>"Ah, multiverse shenanigans," I commented and nodded at the two. "Hrm... I have questions, but I'll save it for another time."</p><p>"...Moving on." Boss blinked and cleared his throat. He placed his hands behind his back and explained, "As for why you are all here, you're in the world of Zenith. We are located in the Kingdom of Askr. We have been waging war against Embla for hundreds of years now. As we speak, they threaten the safety of Zenith and the freedom of the multiverse by conquering worlds and enslaving heroes for their own ends. Askr stands in the way of Embla's ambitions and-"</p><p>"Say no more, I'm fighting with you," Reflet answered.</p><p>"I'm s-surrounded by men!" Florina stepped closer and hid behind me with a squeak.</p><p>"I was expecting at least one of you to say no and leave!" I buried my face into my hands and groaned.</p><p>"Was it something I said?" Reflet turned to me with a furrowed brow.</p><p>"It's not you, but this is too good to be true." I grimaced and adjusted my hood.</p><p>"What is?"</p><p>"The fact that you agreed to fight for me on my behalf." I leered at Reflet. "Also, I'm hella broke an' the money that came with me is useless."</p><p>"Don't worry about that." She smiled at me while I grimaced at her patting my head. "We can worry about money later."</p><p>"Fine." I hung my shoulders and let out an exasperated sigh.</p><p>"Why is she hiding behind you?" Reflet released her grip and leaned to the side. She took a glance at the pegasus knight hiding behind me. Meanwhile, Red and Hector traded ax tips.</p><p>"I'm afraid of m-men..." Florina mumbled. "S-sorry."</p><p>"Florina, was it?" Florina nodded while Reflet hummed and placed her hands behind her back. "I know someone with a similar situation as you. He is uncomfortable with women."</p><p>
  <em>Huh...Florina and Reflet's gynophobic friend cancel each other out.</em>
</p><p>"Do you have any plans?" Boss asked me while Reflet and Florina talked.</p><p>"Wha- None so far." I turned to him and shook my head. "I was hopin' that you, Red or Sunny lemme know about the mission. I'm in the dark as these four."</p><p>"I forgot about that." Boss frowned and rubbed his chin. "How are you feeling, Summoner?"</p><p>"Coat an' boots are a bit heavy, but nothing I can't handle." I rubbed the back of my neck and huffed. "Stairs are gonna suck, but I've got my own way of fixin' that."</p><p>"Glad to hear." Boss nodded. "Erm, why did you send Sharena ahead of us? Wouldn't it be more practical to have everyone in one place?"</p><p>I scratched my cheek and frowned. "I could have done that, but I wanted to wait until I summoned everyone. At least that way, you, Red or Sunny can debrief the mission so I can come up with a plan on such short notice."</p>
<hr/><p>I decided against teleporting all of us to the castle. Not only was it a complete waste of magic, but I also didn't want to risk another trip to the infirmary. Not unless I had a recovery stave... whatever those are. It's a lot of walking and I didn't feel like talking, so I unlocked my phone and looked into my music app.</p><p>Uh... I apparently have more than enough songs to last me a lifetime- and that's if I play 'em one at a time. The song I picked muffled everyone's voices and a bunch of bubbles appeared out of the corner of my right eye. The ones on the left were blue and the ones on the right were grey.</p><p>It looked like something out of a chatroom and I ignored the background chatter in favor of focusing on going back to the castle. I stepped forward and heard the sound of cranking metal while the gate opened to let us in. The walls were built high with a crapton of stone bricks and I entered a massive town.</p><p>There was a lot of background chatter and yelling and the occasional chicken in the way. I noticed that the men wore pale blue tunics with grey trousers, cloth shoes, and dirty headbands, while the women wore pale blue dresses topped with aprons and white caps on their heads.</p><p>Elderly women had their hair tied in a bun while younger women had their hair flow down and cover their upper back or parts of their hair were tied in side-plaits or braids off to the sides of their shoulders. The klaxon of iron banging against iron followed by the scent of bread pervaded the air. The latter spurred me on and I quickened my pace, ignoring everyone else's cries until I heard footsteps behind me and saw a large castle adorned with a gold and blue banner containing gold ropes on the side and a Nordic rune of a dragon's foot in the middle. A pair of pikemen with kite shields covering their left arms entered my vision and I walked past them before they can bar the way.</p>
<hr/><p>I entered the castle and kept walking until I was greeted by a long, blue carpet underfoot. It stopped when I set foot on its tassels and looked down to see an ornate gold and blue carpet. The sides of the long carpet resembled ropes and up ahead was a Nordic rune resembling a dragon's foot. Next, the main hall in front of me looked like it was made from marble and the pillars holding up this section of the castle together resembled crinkle-cut fries with ornate, golden supports. Overhead, a lantern stand perched above us with lit candles burning brightly inside. They were placed so high that I actually worried FOR whoever had to light the candles. I didn't need to be a genius to know that lighting up the lanterns screamed "fire hazard". To the sides of the main hall, a trio of large, blue banners with the dragon's foot Nordic rune and tassels on the bottom swayed in a light breeze.</p><p>To my left was a pentagon=shaped headstone with lines pointing upward to a four-pointed star. It seemed to glow with a light blue aura and fade out now and then. To my right was a fountain with water spouting out of a pivot carved at the base. Above the base was a statue of a pair of stone owls facing away with one open wing and one closed wing.</p><p>I stepped forward to see a large bulletin board near a large block holding a golden cauldron on my left. On my right was a small hexagonal-shaped base with grass growing out and a large, Y-shaped perch sticking out.</p><p>I blinked to see a winged ball of fluff assaulting my face and heard several footsteps from below me.</p><p>I spat out feathers and pushed my fluffy assailant away from my face. It roosted on my chest and flew off when I heard an easygoing, young male voice call out its name. I stood up to see a lean, brown-haired young man in a green, sleeveless shirt with white pants and a red cloak around his neck and shoulders. His arms and legs were adorned with dark green bracers tied together with brown bandages.</p><p>"Feh gets really excitable when she sees new visitors." The young man chuckled while the fluffball- a white, horned owl named Feh perched on his right arm and flapped her wings. "Whoa, you look older, Gina. What happened to you?"</p><p>"Okay, you're the third person who knows my name and I'm creeped out by that," I commented. "The other two people are on their way as we speak."</p><p>"It's me- Matthew?" The young man offered his free hand. "...You don't remember me, do you?"</p><p>"You're mistaking me for someone else." I groaned and noticed a green-haired boy in dark robes sitting near a pillar reading a large tome. "Is he your kid?"</p><p>"Raigh?" Matthew turned to him and let out a nervous chuckle. "Gods, no. Do I look like I'm old enough to have a child?"</p><p>I was about to answer his questions when I heard several loud footsteps. Red and Boss, along with Reflet, Mr. Diabetes, and Florina (sans pegasus) stopped in front of me. Hector keeled over on his back from running while wearing armor and holding a large ax.</p><p>"Godsdamnit, Gina." Boss panted heavy breaths while he leaned forward and rested her hands on his knees. "I've never ran that much in my life before. Warn us next time."</p><p>"Sorry." I let out a short grunt and turned to Matthew. "Well, I brought familiar faces. Enjoy~"</p><p>I sat down on the stairs to catch my breath, then I noticed Sunny talking with a pair of archers. A blue-haired one and a white-haired one whose facial profile resembled a pineapple. The sound of chatter meant that everyone was gettin' to know each other, which is good.</p><p>I looked up to see Sunny and a pair of archers towering over me.</p><p>"Everyone is here." The blue-haired archer cheered. "How's the summoning, mon ami?"</p><p>"Tiring... like carrying a crapton of bags from one end of this castle to the other," I commented. "The name's Gina."</p><p>"So I've heard." I quirked a brow at his smooth French accent as he bowed with a smile. "I am Virion, the finest archer of the fairest of realms. Delighted to be of service."</p><p>"I'd shake your hand, but <em>I need </em>to catch my breath first." I raised my hand in front of my elbow and huffed. My hood was off, revealing my half-shaven head.</p><p>I waited until everyone had caught their breath and I eyed Sunny walking up the stairs.</p><p>Boss and Red followed me to the top of the stairs. Sunny stared at the wall with a determined look. She stretched out her hand as if reaching out for something and took a deep breath. A white-blue orb shot out of her hand and stopped six feet in front of her. It imploded for a second before exploding into an oval-shaped, human-sized black hole. Or was it a white hole?</p><p>"Everyone, listen up!" Red faced the assembled heroes (sans Raigh who was skulking nearby), cupped her hands near her mouth, and yelled in a firm tone while everyone else turned to her, "I've gotten word that the Emblan Empire has invaded the World of Mystery. They're seizing control of its heroes in hopes of using them to mount an attack on our kingdom. Unfortunately, they already possess one of that world's most important Heroes- Marth!"</p><p>"The legendary Hero-King!?" Reflet gaped.</p><p>"The same." Boss nodded and continued after Red turned to him. "If Marth leads a charge on Askr, it would be devastating."</p><p>"So what if they have a legend on their side?" Sunny chimed in. "We have Gina here."</p><p>"Take it as I will, take it as I will..." I chanted to myself while I pulled my arms to my sides.</p><p>The air felt heavier than usual... and it wasn't like that one battle I can't remember. Everyone in the room looked- no, is psyched up. I looked up to see all the assembled heroes standing with me near the portal.</p><p>"Before we go, I'd like to let everyone know that the portal has a capacity of nine people." Red paused. She turned to me and placed her hand on my shoulder. "Alfonse and Sharena are the ones maintaining the portal and I am in charge of their well-being. It would be wrong to force you to stay in the castle without seeing firsthand the horrors of this war. That being said, are you ready?"</p><p>I stepped into the portal after Red, Boss and Sunny stepped inside and found myself screaming for a while. I blinked and time slowed down enough for me to see electric-blue lines zigzagging and swirling around a white orb spinning like the black center of liquid blending together like a smoothie in a blender. At some point, the lines disappeared and shifted into a black void with a blue orb. It twinkled in front of me and I covered my eyes with my arm just in time for my vision to white out...</p><p> </p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Summons for this chapter: F!Robin, Gaius</p><p>Zenith is the name of the continent, not the name of the world. The actual name of the world of Heroes is Midgard in this series, so I will rectify this gap in future chapters to keep in mind FEH's strong connections to Norse myth.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Coffee 3B-1 - A Coffee Addict's First Taste of Battle (Alfonse)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Alfonse serves as Gina's battle partner and proctor. Part 1 of the Battle Phase of the World of Mystery.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Gina's nicknames: Shortstack, Kiran (Anna), Delicious Friend (?), Twitches (Gaius), (Lady) Summoner (Alfonse)</p><p>As always, lemme know if you have questions, problems, or comments. HB out.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
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<p></p><div class="resolved"><p>
      <strong>CHAPTER 3B-1</strong>
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      <strong>A Coffee Freak's First Taste of Battle (Alfonse)</strong>
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  <em>It is for the best that Gina is the Summoner, yet the Summoner has the voice and appearance of a woman of Muspell. Or Embla. Either way, it is strange for her to join the Order of Heroes instead of staying in Muspell. That would be the case if not for her garb and armor.</em>
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  <em>Her armors look nothing like any sort of armor I have seen in Zenith. Her inner armor is as thin as my cuirass and black as coal, yet foldable like summer garb. Next, her outer armor is colored blood-red with a large gash on the left side. Heavy is an understatement and I would have broken my back and arms had I carried this to her office by myself. I also remember feeling a strange force pulling on me as I ascended the stairs earlier today. Is it some sort of magic? I doubt this strange magic is mentioned in any of the books.</em>
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  <em>It finally comes with a trio of pouches attached to a long, wide belt. They contain a grape-sized dark brown candy. It tastes like black coffee.</em>
</p><p>I looked around and breathed in the nice air. The area appeared to be an archipelago with a small mountain to my left. To my right, a small island situated far beyond the cliff and a small forest next to a wide dirt path. I blinked to see Sharena and Commander Anna in front of me. They landed on the grass without any trouble.</p><p>"Is everyone here?" Sharena grinned with her hands on her hips. "Wait a minute, where's the enemy?"</p><p>"Not here yet, Sharena," I answered. "We should still be careful. They have the advantage."</p><p>Sharena nodded and Anna looked like she was about to say a word when a portal appeared above her. Summoner Gina fell on top of the Commander. Meanwhile, Florina, Matthew, Takumi, and Reflet landed without any trouble.</p><p>"I'm guessing everyone else is alright?"Anna addressed the others with a small smile.</p><p>"Nothing out of sorts." Reflet pulled a green tome from her coat. Takumi and Matthew brandished their weapons. Florina stood close to Reflet hugging her spear to her chest. I also noticed the absence of a pegasus.</p><p>"You don't look happy, Red." Matthew offered his hand. "Are you alright?</p><p>"Wait. I need a minute." Anna tried to push herself off the Summoner and stopped with an exasperated groan. She rolled on her back and pushed off the Summoner off her back with a heave. "Will you land somewhere else!?"</p><p>The Summoner replied with a pained groan and staggered to her feet with a dazed look. Instead, it looked more like she had been violently woken up from a nap. The Summoner let out a long groan before she held Briedablik in her right hand.</p><p>"I can try, but I keep landing on you, Red." The Summoner flicked her fingers and Briedablik disappeared from her grip. She looked up at the Commander and frowned. "Someone's gonna get ideas if we keep landing like this."</p>
<hr/><p>Somewhere in the World of Conquest, a white-haired outlaw giggled to himself. He handed over a suspicious bottle of milk to a platinum-blonde haired young man in black and white armor. The young man darted his eyes and stepped out of the mess hall and stopped. He groaned and covered his face with his free hand at a pink-haired mercenary giggling to herself. In front of her, a busty, lavender-haired woman in black armor held hands with a lean, red-haired young woman.</p>
<hr/><p>"Gods..." I buried my hands into my face as my cheeks burned. "Can we... talk about that some other time!?"</p><p>"Fine." The Summoner rolled her eyes and held her grip on her weapons. She looked towards the horizon for a few minutes before turning to me with a relaxed stare. "Are those the enemies we're supposed to be fighting?"</p><p>"You don't see them?" Reflet stepped forward.</p><p>"No." The Summoner shook her head. "What about you?"</p><p>"I can see five pegasus knights, three swordsmen, one fighter, one thief, and one rider. The first pair of pegasus knights are hidden behind the mountain to our left. Finally, the second pair of pegasus knights are stationed near the small island to our right. " Reflet replied.</p><p>"Pegasus knights?" The Commander turned to me with a small frown and hummed. "What about the other three stationed by the lake?"</p><p>"Marth, Caeda, and Jagen are among their number, Prince Alfonse."</p><p>"I see. That don't explain how we're supposed to free the heroes." The Summoner hummed and rubbed her chin. "One of you mentioned something about the heroes being enslaved, but not how."</p><p>"That is actually a good question, Gina." The Commander replied. "Those ascended from the royal family of Askr are able to open portals. Those ascended from the royal family of Embla are in charge of closing portals."</p><p>"No... I shouldn't be surprised." The Summoner shook her head and groaned. "Wait a minute, what about the others?"</p><p>"Oh, good- you paid attention, Summoner." Reflet grinned at the Summoner and continued, "The swordsman and thief are in the forest. The other swordsman is waiting with the axeman at the end of the road."</p><p>The Summoner holstered her weapons and placed her hands on her sides. "Cool. I'm guessing that we're supposed to subdue this Marth guy and his friends?"</p><p>"That is the case, yes," I answered.</p><p>"Everyone else is free real estate, then?" The Summoner nodded with a small grunt. "It's uh... a figure of speech from my world."</p><p>"Do you have a plan?"</p><p>"Seein' as I forgot to send Florina with her pegasus, she'll be fightin' on the ground like the rest of us for now." The Summoner took a breath and continued, "You and Florina will be fightin' the swordsmen and axemen by the road... but she'll hafta go without her pegasus for a bit. Red's comin' with Pineapple to deal with the fliers near the mountain. Sunny an' Matthew will draw out the axeman from the forest. I'll be in the back dealin' with the fliers to the far west on my lonesome."</p><p>"Absolutely not!" I grimaced at the Summoner's last statement. Reflet and the Commander walked off to refresh the others of the plan.</p><p>"Oh, that." The Summoner mumbled to herself and frowned. "You got a problem with me fightin' alone?"</p><p>"As a matter of fact... I do," I replied. "I cannot in good conscience allow you to fight alone."</p><p>"I know about the doc's orders... an' I 'preciate your concern." The Summoner walked up to me and jabbed my chest with a sharp poke. "Unfortunately for everyone involved, it's going to be near-impossible for me to stay unscathed... and no, I ain't stayin' in the back while everyone fights for me."</p><p>"B-but that's your job, Summoner." I looked at the Summoner as if she grew a second head.</p><p>"I ain't like your typical strategist, Boss. I don't mind people doing their own thing so long as they're smart enough, but I draw the line on being helped. That being said... I ain't too keen on lettin' you fight on yer lonesome neither." The Summoner growled. "I'm cynical, not a coward."</p><p>I let out an exhausted sigh and buried my face in my hands, then rested my hand above Folkvangr. "It seems we are at an impasse, Summoner."</p><p>"Hm... we are." The Summoner nodded.</p><p>"In our own ways, we are both important to Askr's survival," I explained. "Neither of us are budging on the matter. However... The longer we stay here, the more likely we are both going to be surrounded."</p><p>"In open spaces like these, I'd be inclined to agree." The Summoner replied with a grunt and turned to the cliff on our right. "However... the enemy CO don't know that I'm alive an' well. Fortunately for you... I'll be answerin' that question by servin' as live bait."</p><p>"Define 'live bait' for me, Summoner." I frowned. "How are you going to implement such a tactic?"</p><p>"Drawing aggro, or 'live bait' as I call it, is a strategy used to attract attention. It requires a minimum of two people." The Summoner explained while she pulled the hood over her head. "The first person acts as a diversion. The second person sneaks away and picks off the enemy using stealth or long-range weapons. "</p><p>"...and you're going to be the diversion, aren't you?"</p><p>"Yep." The Summoner grinned. She rubbed her lips and twitched her fingers to brandish Briedablik.</p><p>I followed her to the east side of the peninsula and waited until I saw a pair of pegasus knights. It was hard to see, but I was able to recognize their winged black helmets, and light armor from afar.</p><p>I heard a click followed by a red bolt flying out and up from Briedablik. It soared skyward. Small and faint, green wisps screeched until it stopped and burst into a large, red flare. I heard a loud whinny as the pegasus knights stopped in front of us.</p><p>"Wait... This one doesn't look like the Summoner." The second pegasus knight held out her hand in front of her partner and hummed.</p><p>"Wait, really?" The first pegasus knight asked her partner. "That shrimp?"</p><p>"This shrimp can hear everything you say!" The enemy pegasus riders and I turned to a Muspelline-accented gruff contralto voice. Everyone looked at the Summoner as if she grew a second head. The Summoner stepped forward and pointed to herself. "What's it gonna take to prove to you that I'm the Summoner!?"</p><p>"Uh..." The second pegasus knight gulped.</p><p>"You know what? It's a complete shame I ain't tall, pale, an' handsome." The Summoner snorted as she stepped back and brandished Briedablik. She stared at the enemy pegasus knights with a hard glare. "Then again... I don't need perfect vision. I don't have to be yay tall to kick your feathered asses. No... I'm definitely not salty."</p><p>"...What?" The first pegasus knight blinked and turned to her partner with a furrowed brow.</p><p>"Well... we were supposed to kill the Summoner... FOR THE GLORY OF EMBLA!" The first pegasus knight rolled her shoulders and lunged towards me. I dove to my left with Folkvangr and rolled to the side in time to avoid a spear thrust.</p><p>I heard an explosion and a yell from behind. I swung my shield above my head in time to parry the pegasus knight's attack. I lowered my shield, rushed forward, and hacked at the pegasus's wings, grounding the rider. The pegasus swung its hooves and bucked me in the face, sending me on my back.</p><p><em>You alright, Boss?</em> A familiar, Muspelline-accented voice asked.</p><p><em>Nothing to worry about, Lady Summoner. </em>I answered while I rose to my feet and blocked an incoming spear thrust. <em>What about you?</em></p><p><em>Got nicked with my hands an' fightin's harder than I thought it'd be, but nothing I can't handle. </em>I heard the Summoner grunt and parried another attack. <em>I'm blind by medieval standards, but I'm startin' to learn my opponent's patterns. I'd shoot 'em point-blank, but my eyes aren't any good for any long-range combat... 'cept for maybe throwin' weapons... maybe.</em></p><p><em>I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'll keep that in mind.</em> I lowered my shield, drew back, and crouched on my knees with a tight grip on Folkvangr.</p><p><em>Oh, an' if you don't see 'em straight away an' you hear wingbeats around you, they're either circle-strafing or preppin' for a dive attack.</em> I heard an explosion followed by a loud yell and a whinny. I heard loud wingbeats from my left and dove forward to avoid a pegasus barrelling into me. I rose to my feet and watched the pegasus roost onto the ground with a hard crash. The pegasus jumped into the air, swiveled its head towards me, and charged with the rider's yell.</p><p>I dove again to avoid an incoming thrust and winced at the Summoner's loud swears. They are ah, crude enough to make the most stoic of Royal Knights blush and I already feel pity for her opponent's verbal assault.</p><p>
  <em>Now that I think about it... The Summoner is not a mere commoner by Zenith's standards, but a foreign commoner: a woman of Muspell in all but name. She would thrive in Muspell, but with rising tensions between Muspell and Nifl may not be such a good idea.</em>
</p><p>"Why. Won't. You. Die!?" My opponent growled out with each spear thrust. After the fourth attack, the pegasus whinnied and reared up its hooves. I raised my shield in front of my face and was knocked down for my trouble. It hurt to move my shield arm and rolled away in time to avoid the pegasus's hooves. I rubbed the sweat off my forehead as I let out heavy breaths. I was about to be trampled again when I heard an explosion followed by a white and gold mass barreling through the air and several pained grunts. It slammed against the pegasus knight and her mount. They were sent flying further from the cliffs and landed near the dirt path.</p><p>I rose to my feet when I heard two bodies crash on the ground. I ran to the Summoner and checked her pulse. I let out a sigh of relief when I heard her groan. She rubbed her head, rose to her feet, and stumbled forward until I caught her shoulders.</p><p>"Are you alright?" I asked the Summoner.</p><p>"Ugh, that hurt." The Summoner rubbed the back of her head with a pained groan. "By the way... Red an' Reflet have both finished their parts of the battle an' they're on their way to meet up with each other. Haven't heard from Sunny yet so far. How are you holdin' up?"</p><p>"I'm fine for the time being, Lady Summoner." The Summoner groaned at the mention of her title and summoned Briedablik. I gaped as I watched the divine weapon change shape into a white and gold stringless bow. "What's the plan?"</p><p>"Two things." The Summoner raised two fingers and picked up a pinion feather sticking on her coat. She placed it on the floor and fired a shot at it with Briedablik. A large hole appeared in front of us and a white-maned pegasus stallion with a blue saddle and harness stepped out with a whinny. She flashed her phone and tapped the transparent side until a light portrait of Florina appeared above her device. It looked at the portrait for a second before it opened its wings and flew off. "First, I'm sendin' Huey over to Florina so their team can have more ground to cover. That, and I should have summoned them together in the first place. Second..."</p><p>The Summoner sighed and picked up the arrow that appeared at her feet. "I'll be your backup... only because if I fire another shot using the stupid gun, I <em>really am </em>going to pass out."</p><p>"I'm confused right now." I blinked. "How are you doing all this?"</p><p>"I'm learnin' as I go, Boss." The Summoner hummed and looked up with her hand over her eyes. I turned to her, then looked skyward when I heard faint wingbeats. The figure hovering above us was the first pegasus knight from earlier. She raised her spear skyward and the tip of her spear shone with a yellow light. It sparkled several times before I noticed a large, yellow pillar over the Summoner and heard the peal of thunder.</p><p>I tackled her onto the ground before the lightning can hit. I glanced at the Summoner then at the spot of grass where she stood. The spot was now charred black and felt hot to the touch. Parts of the darkened grass were burned by small wisps of fire.</p><p>"Good thing you tackled me." The Summoner let out a sheepish chuckle and tightened her grip on Briedablik. She stood up and leered at the knight above us. "What's that flier holdin' over there?"</p><p>"I thought that was only limited to the World of Awakening and the Twin Worlds of Fates- The enemy is holding a Shockstick," I explained. "Shocksticks are part of a set of weapons capable of harnessing thunder magic. In this case, their users both need to have experience with lances and thunder magic. The strength of the spell is tied to its user's magic ability. That pegasus knight must have flown above us while I went to fetch you."</p><p>"I see." The Summoner nodded and looked up for a minute before training the bow at our opponent. "We don't have to worry about the other one for now- I really did knock her out cold. It wasn't on purpose, but I guess it worked out in the end."</p><p>"Might I suggest a solution?" I offered.</p><p>"No guarantee I'll hit, considerin' my aim, but if you have anything in your arsenal... now's a good time to say so." The Summoner growled out and handed over the arrow to me.</p><p>I inspected the arrow and held it close to my chest. I opened up my left hand and whispered a small prayer to Askr. My prayers were answered when a mote of sunlight appeared over my left hand. It condensed into a fuzzy, off-yellow orb. It felt warm to the touch before it sank into the arrowhead. A moment later, the arrowhead shone with a yellow light.</p><p>"You know magic?" The Summoner asked.</p><p>"Of course." I nodded. "Aside from the ability to open portals, Askran royalty and clergy are gifted with an affinity for light magic. I only know enough magic to be able to use Sol- the signature technique of the dragon-god Askr."</p><p>"...I see. Well, after I fire this shot... I need you to finish 'er off when she survives this attack." The Summoner nodded at me with a small smile and nocked the enchanted arrow. She aimed up at the offending pegasus knight as she raised her spear, pulled back her arm, and let the arrow fly. "As for the other one... I'll distract 'er when she attacks. That'll give you the chance to slash at the second rider's wings. The pegasus knights don't like it when people aim at their wings."</p><p>I watched as the arrow soared up towards the pegasus knight and exploded into several rays that flew past the enemy and converged together from five directions. We heard a loud whinny and watched them fall. I ran towards the falling pegasus knight with Folkvangr at the ready. The blade was covered in a thick, off-yellow light and enlarged itself to the length of a greatsword.</p><p>I lowered my head and tucked Folkvangr. As soon as the Shockstick-wielding pegasus knight fell into view, the magic around Folkvangr's blade thickened and I jumped into the air with a lunge. I swung Folkvangr in a wide arc along my right side with a yell whilst ignoring the smell of burning flesh from my hands. I descended to the ground and rolled into a kneel with my shield hand on the grass when I heard the bodies hit the floor.</p><p>I stood up, turned around, and dashed toward the downed Shockstick-wielder with a light-imbued diagonal slash and stood still. The Shockstick-wielder rose to her feet, trembled, and fell forward with a pained groan. I had to drop Folkvangr as its hilt became too hot for me to touch and waited until it returned to its normal state.</p><p>It was at that point that I heard a whinny from behind. The pegasus knight I was fighting earlier had woken up during my flashy technique and regained her bearings.</p><p><em>...Never thought I'd see an attack out of a late 2000s shonen anime appear here of all places. Boss... are you alright? </em>I heard the Summoner hum to herself with a furrowed brow.</p><p><em>The stones in the hilt burn like white flames. It means that I can use Sol two more times a day. </em>I clenched my fist and picked up Folkvangr with my shield arm. It didn't burn as much compared to my sword arm. <em>I thank you for your concern, Summoner. My hands are burned, but nothing I cannot handle- I have been used to these burns for a long time now.</em></p><p>I heard the Summoner's yell and looked up to see Briedablik in its base form. I was about to dodge when it sailed above my head and heard a pained groan from behind followed by a loud thump on the grass. I looked back to see the pegasus knight knocked off her horse for the second time. I tightened my grip against Folkvangr as I walked closer to the downed knight and cut off her head.</p><p>I took a deep breath and knelt down in front of the corpse. I grabbed the spear and stabbed it in front of her boot, then I muttered a quick prayer and walked away.</p>
<hr/><p>When I returned, The Summoner knelt down with two fingers placed at the edge of her ear. She stood up and turned back to me with a smile and the Shockstick in her other hand. "Good news, Boss. Florina got her pegasus back an' Sunny's dealt with the lone rider. Apparently, the rider is Lord Blueberry's mentor."</p><p>"What about Anna?" I asked.</p><p>"Nothing from her yet, Boss. She's too far away for me to contact her now." The Summoner shook her head and twitched her left hand- Briedablik turned into motes of light and disappeared.</p><p>"We shouldn't keep the others waiting." The Summoner nodded at me and turned towards the forest. I looked back at the slain pegasus knights and sighed before I left the plains and ran towards the forest.</p>
<hr/><p>The Summoner and I stepped into the forest. She was about to step forward when I stretched my hand in front of her and watched the trees become obscured by mist. I heard a distant, echoing giggle and brandished Folkvangr.</p><p>"Be on your guard," I warned the Summoner, who summoned Briedablik with a nod and a twitch of her fingers. A second later, she brandished a dagger in a reverse grip. "The enemy is somewhere close."</p><p>The voice giggled again and the Summoner grunted while tightening her grip on her weapons. Two figures appeared in the mist. The mist parted to reveal a hooded androgynous figure skulking next to a blue-haired woman. She wore a red dress, a white breastplate with two pauldrons, a pair of white boots with grey accents, a lance slung on her back, and a pair of wide leather belts tied around her waist with a long, thin sword resting on a holster sitting from the base of her hips to the halfway point of her knee and heel.</p><p>"Princess Veronica warned me about you." She sauntered forward with a hand on the pommel of her sword and a sweet smile. "I'm surprised that the Summoner looks like a child."</p><p>The Summoner lowered her weapons with a shudder and growled. "I thought you can't fight without your mount."</p><p>"As a pegasus knight, aerial combat is my specialty, " The blue-haired woman chuckled. " I am only fighting on the ground to give you a fair chance against me. My apologies, but allow me to elucidate- I am Princess Caeda of Talys. I'm also a pegasus knight, though perhaps an unconventional-"</p><p>The Summoner responded by chucking Briedablik like an axe to her. She staggered and fell backward into the mist before she can brandish her weapon. The thief next to her disappeared into the mist. It was quiet for a moment until I felt steel against the back of my throat. The Summoner turned around and froze. I hitched a breath and dropped my weapon when I heard a set of faint footsteps and a strangled groan.</p><p>"Sorry about that." I heard a chuckle and turned around to see Matthew with a smile on his face and dusting off his hands. "I got lost in the forest. Anna's alright, if that's what you're thinking."</p><p>"I ain't takin' any chances." The Summoner interjected while she holstered Briedablik into her hip. "We should get going."</p><p>"Right." Matthew and I nodded at her and followed her out the forest.</p>
<hr/><p>Matthew, the Summoner, and I entered the plains. It was situated near a large lake.. I heard a faint shimmer to my right and Anna appeared next to me with a grin. A blue-haired man with a tiara and a thin, golden sword with a narrow blade stepped forward. "I am Marth, Prince of Altea. Ah, you must be with the Order of<br/>
Heroes I've heard about. Aren't you a little young to be with the Order of Heroes?"</p><p>"...Aren't you a bit young to be on a battlefield, Lord Blueberry?" The Summoner retorted while I applied my hand to my face and groaned.</p><p>"...Touche." Marth coughed into his fist and continued, "Erm, Princess Veronica told us about you... I think. I assume you know all about the contract that binds us to her?"</p><p>"I do." I nodded.</p><p>"Heroes of a conquered world must obey their conqueror." Marth brandished his sword. It gleamed with a golden glow as sunlight rose above him and his partner.<br/>
"But... if you show us that you're more powerful than our conqueror, that will break the contract. That being said, we will battle our very-" Marth groaned and staggered for a moment before he fell forward with an undignified thump.</p><p>"You're not taking any chances...are you?" I asked the Summoner.</p><p>"No, not really." The Summoner shook her head and twirled Briedablik like a baton.</p><p>"Well done." Matthew, Anna, and I gaped at Marth's sudden recovery. He walked up to us and shook my hand with a smile. "It is clear that your tactician is not an honorable fighter, but our battles are far from over. The next time you see me, we will settle this once and for all."</p><p>Marth disappeared in a mote of light while the Commander stared slack-jawed at where he stood.</p><p>"...That's one way to end a battle." Matthew blinked.</p><p>"Do you think Gina is still tactician material?" Anna asked me.</p><p>"Gina... is far from perfect." I took a quick glance at the Summoner then at the Commander. "Decent in a fight, but she seems to have trouble with voicing out her plans."</p><p>I sighed and looked down to see a bright blue light appeared at our feet. Both of us covered our eyes as the light twinkled for a few seconds before it exploded. The lake and plains disappeared and whited out.</p>
<hr/><p>We stood at the edge of a desert, near a wide bridge over a river. Our only source of shade is a tall, thin tree with large, broad leaves. The Summoner leaned over a tree and pushed the hood away from her head, revealing a brown mohawk over the right side of her face.</p><p>"I know I ain't supposed to be cocky, but I really think this desert is a breather for us, Boss." The Summoner rolled her shoulders and sighed.</p><p>"How so?" I asked.</p><p>"Think about it- the Emblan soldiers are wearin' black on top of heavy armor." The Summoner explained as she turned to the desert ahead, watching a sandstorm rage in the background. "Everyone here?"</p><p>"Meh, let the extreme heat take 'em." The Summoner shrugged her shoulders and tapped into her magic mirror. A small pile of light appeared at her feet. It died down to reveal a pile of amber bottles and a pair of green tomes with a small tornado on the cover. "Here. This should tide you guys over for a while. Got these from the last battery of battles." The divine weapon Briedablik changed shape into an elongated tube with a small hole on one end and a large end on the other.</p><p>She peered into the device and let out a small smile.</p><p>"What's so funny?" Reflet looked at the Summoner with a furrowed brow.</p><p>"Watch this." The Summoner chuckled to herself and handed over the long seeing device to her. Reflet laughed to herself and turned to me with a giggle as she handed it over to me.</p><p>I peered into the looking glass and found the Emblan forces unconscious on the ground. Some of them were crawling away due to their inexperience with the heat.</p><p> </p>
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          <p>Gina leveled up!</p><p>LV 5</p><p>SPD +4<br/>RES +2<br/>ATK +1</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Coffee Break 1 - Reflet, Hector, Sharena C</h2></a>
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    <strong>Coffee Break 1 (Gina)</strong>
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</p><p>"There you are! I've been looking all over for you." I moaned at the light touch of my shoulder and the feminine voice. I turned around and frowned at a white-haired, twin-tailed tactician. I felt her look over my shoulder and hum while he looked over the books on the table. "So that's what you've been doing."</p><p>"Well... trying and failing." I blinked and clicked my tongue while I drummed my fingers on a magic textbook. "I can't read any of the books in the library."</p><p>"Why not?" Reflet blinked. "We can understand each other."</p><p>"I don't fucking get it either, but I'm too tired to give a damn. " I sighed and closed my fists on the table. "If I'm going to take my job seriously, I have to do everything I can to help and I have a lot of work to do. "</p><p>"I understand, but you don't have to burn yourself out. " Robin looked down at the books in front of me and hummed while rubbing his chin. "You have me and the others in the Order."</p><p>"I'll take it as I will, Reflet." I huffed. "Now that I think about it, it explains how I was able to understand Red and Pineapple when I met them."</p><p>"Takumi, the Hoshidan archer?" Reflet blinked.</p><p>"Yes, him. Thanks to my near-sighted vision, his head does look like a pineapple." I nodded and drummed my fingers on the table.</p><p>"Shame about your spectacles. Gods know how important it must be to you." Robin shook her head and rubbed her chin, "What in Naga's name is a pineapple?"</p><p>"A pineapple is a golden, spiky tropical fruit with green, sword-like leaves on top." I explained and continued, "They smell sweet with a tangy aftertaste."</p><p>"That explains a lot." Robin chuckled while she wiped a tear from her eye. "You don't have to carry everything on your shoulders, Summoner. You also have me and the Order of Heroes to help."</p><p>"Ugh, just call me Gina. Or Regina if you want. I ain't one for titles." I grimaced at my title and hung my shoulders with a resigned sigh. "As far as I'm concerned, I've only earned that title because I'm lucky to be alive. That doesn't mean that I'm havin' everyone do stuff for me all the time outta battle. Ain't <em>that</em> helpless or vain."</p><p>"What about strategy meetings?"</p><p>"...I'm not so crazy that I'm going to do strategy meetings myself either," I replied. "If anything, I'm more likely to stand in the back, take notes and ask you a lot if I don't get it. That being said, strategy meetings ain't so different from college lectures."</p><p>"You were a scholar?" Reflet blinked. "Do you study magic by any chance?"</p><p>"Where I'm from, magic doesn't exist except in fiction, parlor tricks, and computer programming." I shrugged and continued, "But yeah... I was a scholar at one point, complete with late nights, a crapton of homework, a crapton of research, and seven years' worth of coffee strong enough to hallucinate."</p><p>"Gods..." Robin blinked twice and shuddered. "That much coffee is enough to keep Ylisse's magic guild awake for a long time. When was the last time you drank coffee?"</p><p>"As of now, two days ago," I answered and returned to drumming my fingers on the table. "It's part of the job and force of habit from my old life."</p><p>"Dare I ask, but..." Reflet flashed a smile and sat down next to me. "You were a scholar before, but what sort of trade requires that much coffee?"</p><p>"I was a baker." I blinked and frowned after I closed the tome in front of me. "I wake up before the crack of dawn, then I clock in, clean the kitchen, prep everything, and bake enough bread to feed a small city ten times over. I work in the back of the house- replenishing every loaf of bread for the folks at the front of the house to sell. I make new batches of coffee every half-hour while I'm waiting for the bread to finish baking. Oh, and I've also been doing all that for the last seven years."</p><p>"Gods... that IS a lot of work..." Reflet rubbed her chin and pursed her lips.</p><p>"It is." I grinned and waved her off. "But it's nothing new and I have a truckload of studying to do."</p><hr/><p>"Nice moves." I heard a chortle. "You tryin' to dance?"</p><p>"So much for training." I turned around to see an armored bear with a golden ax on his shoulder sporting a wide grin. "Hector, right?"</p><p>"Yeah." Hector nodded and dropped Armads on the ground. He stepped closer and looked at me while rubbing his chin.</p><p>"...You say that we've kinda met before, but I can't say the same about you." I dropped my ax and glared up at him.</p><p>"But I have." Hector drew back and crossed his arms. "Eliwood was about to introduce me to your counterpart when I was summoned here."</p><p>"Oh, that." I groaned.</p><p>"You don't have to apologize, Gina." Hector shook his head and continued, "You look like someone I'd want to help, even without magic in the way."</p><p>"Wait, the stupid gun has a geas!?" I gaped.</p><p>"Yeah. There's a strange feeling in the back of my head, preventing me from directly harming you- which I won't." I paled while Hector rubbed his chin and dropped his ax on the ground with a rumbling hum. "Are you alright, Gina?"</p><p>"No. No, I'm not." I looked up at him with a firm stare and huffed. "My stupid blinky gun can break time and space to summon heroes and now my stupid blinky gun can pacify people to do things for me!?"</p><p>"I appreciate the concern you have for me, but you're thinking too hard about this. " Hector offered. "Say, why don't we spar with each other? I'll go easy on you."</p><p>"Well... since you offered, fine." I let out a resigned sigh and picked up my ax after I rolled my shoulders.</p><hr/><p>"Mayonnaise is not an instrument..." I mumbled when I felt pressure on my shoulder. The room was dark and mostly empty save for a wardrobe and a pair of chairs in the corner. I lifted my head and locked eyes with a tall blonde in white sleeves and golden pauldron and cuirass holding a lantern with a candle inside... I left out a soft groan and ran my hand through my mohawk. I tore out a sheet of parchment attached to my cheek and looked down to see Briedablik next to a small pile of parchment, an overturned inkwell, and another sheet of parchment with a large blot of ink near my hand. Luckily, there wasn't anything important written there.</p><p>"Thank Askr, you're still here. " Sharena let out a relieved sigh.</p><p>"What?" I leered at the blonde sitting next to me. "You're gonna... hafta... try harder... if ya want to... seduce me..."</p><p>"...Seduce you?"</p><p>"Not with... a bucket... of chicken." I wrote a bunch of scribbles on a sheet of parchment and handed it over to her, "See- a way to... a woman's heart... is through... her stomach."</p><p>"These are scribbles." Sharena frowned and looked at me with a quirked brow. "When was the last time you had any sleep?"</p><p>"Hell... no. "I mumbled. "Uh... two days ago?"</p><p>"That explains why I haven't seen you at dinner then." Sharena sighed. "You have to stop giving Alfonse heart attacks. It was funny the first three times, but I worry that you're taking it too far."</p><p>"Heh... Boss go brr." I laid my head down on the table and mumbled, "No promises... but... try...zzz"</p><p></p><div>
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